does trouble you with Temptations and Corruptions you that are Believers he shall not rob you of your comfort because you live on Christ Fourthly Death shall not rob you of your comfort If Christ is yours Death in and through Christ is conquered If a Lion or Bear did lie dead in the street every little Boy would be ready to stand on them and make nothing of them but if they were alive they would be afraid of them and not dare to come near them So Death being conquered by Christ the Sting being taken away the weakest Believer in Christ may insult over Death Death comes peaceably to tell you God would have you come home to your Mansions of Glory But a carnal Man out of Christ Death undoes him he may cry out I am undone lost and damned for ever I shall never breath on Earth more I shall never hear a Sermon I shall never have an Offer of Christ more I am going to everlasting Destruction But to a Believer the Sting is taken out Sin was the Instrument that brought Death into the World and the Death of Christ is the Death of sin A Believer when he dies may say I shall change my Life for a better it doth not rob him of his Joy Enter thou into the joy of thy Lord. When Christ who is your Life shall appear you shall also appear with him I am going to live a better Life I am going to live with him that I live to Death is conquered to a Believer it cannot rob you First It cannot rob you of your Joy for you are going to a better Life A Believer may say I am going where I shall never grieve God more where I shall never cry more Why hidest thou thy Face I am going to that Christ I live to my very Heart longs for him whose Presence I shall e're long enjoy You are but going out of the lower Room into the upper you are but going from the Church Militant below to the Church Triumphant above you are going up to him that came down to you That Life is safest that Death cannot rob us of O what a lamentable Outcry will there be with many at their Death There would be more Outcries with Sinners than there are when Death comes but that the Devil stupifies them that they do not cry out till they are in Hell But if Men were set on the brink of Hell and could see the misery they are going to Christ not being theirs O what a dreadful Outcry would there be But now a Soul in Christ may challenge Death O Death where is thy sting O Grave where is thy Victory O Death what hast thou against me Christ hath took away thy Sting O you that have Christ your Life how sweet should every Sermon be How sweet should every Sabbath be How sweet should every Word be Methinks your Souls should be bound up in Love Grace Glory and the Comforts and Blessings of the Covenant of Grace and when Death approaches you should think of Christs sweet Words to you Enter thou into the Joy of thy Lord. O what a joyful Day will the day of Death be to a Believer Secondly Death cannot take away the comfort of a Believers Company We are sorry to leave our Relations and Friends and Company that we delight in here but never was your Heart so taken up with Delight in the Saints in the best Frame that ever you were in to the thousandth part to what you will be in Glory But the Wicked will be rob'd of the comfort of their Company they will then curse the Day that ever they saw each others Face but the Saints will meet all the glorious Saints Patriarchs and Prophets God is yours Christ is yours and you will come to a glorious Assembly the Company that you delighted in on Earth you will come to after Death Heb. 12.22 23. But ye are come unto Mount Sion and unto the City of the living God the Heavenly Jerusalem and to an innumerable company of Angels to the General Assembly and Church of the first born which are written in Heaven and to God the Judge of all and the Spirits of Just Men made perfect What a glorious company are these O how many glorious Suns will you see in one day The very first moment you enter into Glory what a glorious sight will you see O how will you admire that blessed Face that was spit on for you O how will you admire those blessed Wounds in his Arms Legs Side and Heart that was made for your healing Satan cannot rob you of your company you loved the People of God on Earth and you are going to them So the Apostle comforts the Thessalonians that at the Death of their Relations they should not complain 1 Thes 4.13 14. But I would not have you to be ignorant Brethren concerning them which are asleep that they sorrow not even as others that have no hope for if we believe that Jesus died and rose again even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him Do not you fear Death shall not rob you of your company Christ will bring them with him For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord that we are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord. Death cannot rob you of your glorious Company the glorious Saints that are gone to Heaven before and they that remain behind You shall never lose one Friend by Death Thirdly Death cannot rob the Believer of his Life for his Life is hid with Christ when Death comes they do but sleep that Immortal Soul that God breathed into the Body that is now living that goes immediately into Immortal Glory Death does but enlarge it and set it in that place where it will never be confined to a sinful Body The Saints will never cry out with David Ps 102.2 Hide not thy face from me in the day when I am in trouble But the time will then come that all his Fetters will be knockt off and he will then indeed come to know that Life that he hath long wished for So that Death cannot rob them of their Life they do but fetch a Nap in the Grave till Christ comes and calls for them If we would live for ever let us live Christ now if we would not have Death kill us let us kill sin now Rom. 6.23 For the wages of sin is Death but the gift of God is eternal Life through Jesus Christ our Lord. So that there is eternal Life laid up in Christ Dying it is but a going out of your dark Chambers here below to that Glory above where you will have no need of a Candle or the Sun for God and the Lamb are the Light of that place there the Saints shall never cry out O my Heart or O my Head but shall be taken up in the Arms of the Lord of Glory When Christ appears who is our Life What then we shall appear with
is to be under the means of Grace Tho many come but to take a Nap as Bishop Latimer saith God may catch thee napping The Lord may speak to thy Soul This day I will be thy Salvation O what joyful News would it be to a poor dead carnal sinner If the Lord should this day speak to thee and say Sinner I am thy Salvation And he came down and received him joyfully he was the best Guest that ever he entertained If you had asked Zaccheus a little before when he sat at the Receipt of Custom whether he would have parted with any thing for Christ he would not have hearkned to you now all shall go for a Christ now saith he Lord the half of my goods I give to the poor I will take Vengeance on my Iniquity and if I have taken any thing from any Man by false Accusation I restore him four-fold He came down and received him joyfully Thou art welcom to me if I had a thousand Worlds I could part with them all for Christ Be sure wait at Wisdoms Gate you may hear Christs Voice saying I am become thy Salvation Fifthly When you are waiting O send up Cries as the poor blind Men did when they heard that Christ was coming You have heard Christ preacht this day can you be still and not send up one Prayer and Cry to Christ Lord come into my Soul Will you go home with your cold Prayers and cold Hearts and cold Affections and shall Christ stand aloof off and you stand afar from Christ Mat. 20.30 And behold two blind setting by the way side when they heard that Jesus passed by cryed out saying Have mercy on us O Lord thou Son of David and the multitude rebuked them So a Soul may say I have a multitude within me bids me hold my Peace I have a multitude of unbelieving Thoughts tell me it is too late for me to come to Christ now I have a multitude of Thoughts Christ will not have mercy on me I have a multitude of Temptations never to pray more I have a multitude rebuking my Soul but the more the multitude rebuke me the more I will cry to Christ the more my unbelieving Heart cries Christ will not save thee the more I will cry to Christ to save me the more my Temptations bid me I should not pray I will pray the more when the Devil tells me it is in vain to seek for Mercy I will seek the more earnestly And they cryed Have mercy on us it was mercy they wanted Saith the Soul Unbelief tells me Christ will not look on such a Sinner as I am and my Heart tells me I am so vile there is no hope for me but I will cry the more Have mercy Lord help me I will tell the Lord I have need of a Christ I must have him or I am undone The more Temptations beset me the more Unbelief besets me the more I will cry to Christ to remove it the more I am tempted the more I will pray the more I will cry the faster I will cleave to Christ Sinners send up Cries to Heaven for Christ and Grace that your Souls may live and not die How would the Devil Baffle poor ignorant Souls out of all He would baffle them out of Duties and Ordinances and Sabbaths But a Believer will not be baffled by him and though the Devil and the World and his own Heart oppose him he saith I will make my Prayer to the God of my Life let them say what they will I will cry to Christ for Life And O you that are Strangers to Christ and are convinced of your undone condition beg of them that have an Interest in Christ to cry for you O you that have Christ consider what a safe a blessed a comfortable Life you live You that are yet Strangers what will you do when you come to die if Christ is not your Life Therefore let me beg of you to set your resolution to cry to the Lord and resolve that you will not be put off without Jesus Christ that you may not die in your sins and so perish for ever for the Wages of Sin is eternal Death but the Gift of God is eternal Life through Jesus Christ our Lord. Blessed be God for Jesus Christ ERRATA Christian Reader Notwithstanding the Care that hath been taken to prevent Errors yet upon a farther perusal of this Tract I have found many have escaped the Press I hope what I have marked you will mind and what I have overlooked if you find them you will candidly pass thenn over minding the Sense and not charge the Author with the Printer's Faults PAge 13. line 24. for is he read would he be p. 29. l. 4. for his Jewels r. her Jewels p. 25. l. 10. for enjoys r. desires to enjoy p. 96. l. 5 6. for a Child in Christ r. Children of God for his r. their p. 249. l. 4 for to be r. is it to be p. 251. l. 14 for speak r. speak of p. 258. l. 9 for lives on r. lives Christ p. 260. l. 22. for the glorious the Mystery r. the glorious Mystery p. 262. l. 28. for a Soul r. Saints p. 263. l. 9. for Soul r. Souls p. 175. l. 17. for in thee r. in FINIS Books Sold by William Marshal at the Bible in Newgate Street Dr. Owen 's Books THE True Nature of a Gospel-Church and its Government wherein these following Particulars are distinctly handled I. The Subject-matter of the Church II. The formal Cause of a particular Church III. Of the Polity Rule or Discipline of the Church in general IV. The Overseers of the Church V. The Duty of Pastors of Churches VI. The Office of Teachers in the Church VII Of the Rule of the Church or Ruling Elders VIII The Nature of Church-Polity or Rule with the Duty of Elders IX Of Deacons X. Of Excommunication XI Of the Communion of Churches Printed in large 4o. Price bound 3 s. Another Book of the same Authors lately Printed left in Manuscript Entituled A Treatise of the Dominion of Sin and Grace wherein Sins Reign is discovered in whom it is and in whom it is not how the Law supports it and how Grace is deliver'd from it by seating its Dominion in the Heart Price bound 1 s. Another Book of the Doctors lately published Entituled A brief and impartial Account
proud they would fain be doing something rather than 〈◊〉 to Christ they would fain be trading for goodly Pearls As if a Man that was adry should be going through a Field where there was much Water that was pure and clean and the Man should say I shall dirty my Cloths to come at it and in the clear Water my Face will be seen and therefore I will rather drink of some muddy dirty Water that I may not see my Face So it is with poor Sinners they would fain drink the Kennel-Water of their own Duties for they are afraid to come to Christ for fear of seeing their own Faces for fear of seeing themselves undone and miserable and therefore the Soul cries out Will God look on me Will so righteous a God entertain me If I were better if I could but get my Heart to break and could have my Heart inlarged I would come to Christ but shall I a filthy Sinner think to have Grace and Righteousness Thus poor Sinners would be trading with their own Coin and with their own Duties they are very unwilling that all their own Duties should be cast down but saith Paul That I counted to be gain I found loss for the Excellency of the Knowledg of Christ O let me be found in Christ now let me put off my own Rags now let me live on nothing of my own but on Christ Rom. 10.3 For they being ignorant of God's Righteousness and going about to establish their own Righteousness have not submitted themselves unto the Righteousness of God And in Rom. 9. They were prone to their own Righteousness and would not come to Christ for Righteousness in Vers 31 32. But Israel which followed after the Law of Righteousness hath not attained to the Law of Righteousness Wherefore because they sought it not by Faith but as it were by the Works of the Law for they stumbled at that stumbling-stone They stumble they could not lay down all their own Works all their own Righteousness In point of Justification they stumbled at the Righteousness of Faith they would be justified by the Deeds of the Law which justifie no Man but condemn every Man All Sinners are proud and poor they would not be beholding to Christ for all They would apprehend some worthyness in themselves to be accepted of God Secondly Sinners are very poor and very ignorant they think to get out of debt some other way than by Christ or by the help of Christ they are like a poor man that is in debt he trades and thinks to get out of debt but the business is so carried that he runs further in debt so one comes to him and tells him you do not get at all out of debt by your trading pray consider how poor you are and rest no longer on your own trading to bring you out of debt but if you will come along with me I will bring you to one will pay all your debts for you The glorious Gospel that reveals the Lord Jesus Christ calls Sinners to accept of him as poor miserable undone Sinners who are deeply indebted to God acquaints them that Jesus Christ hath paid a full price for them to set them free John 8.36 The Son shall make you free then shall you be free indeed Yet poor Sinners they think they have something to trade with they think if they could but pray more or remember Sermons more they should get out of God's Debt but they take a wrong course for all that they can do they do but run further into debt by all that you can do you will never get out of debt if you have not a Righteousness in Christ you will never be accepted of God you must lay down all your own and as a poor Sinner lay hold on Christ as the Merchant-man sells all the goodly Pearls to buy this Pearl of Price Well might Paul say I live yet not I but Christ liveth in me I live upon him to him I live in him I was so poor I could never get out of debt by all that I could do therefore I desire to be found in Christ alone Many are complaining they cannot do this or that as if they would get out of debt by their own Works but now Christ is rich enough to make up all your losses When a Man hath one to repair and make up all his Losses he may well depend on him Rom. 5. from 15th Verse to the end But not as the offence so also is the free gift For if through the offence of one many be dead much more by the grace of God and the gift by grace which is by one Man Jesus Christ hath abounded unto many And not as it was by one that sinned so is the gift for the Judgment was by one to condemnation but the free gift is of many offences unto justification For if by one mans offence death reigned by one much more they which receive abundance of Grace and of the Gift of Righteousness shall reign in life by one Jesus Christ Therefore as by the offence of one Judgment came upon all men to condemnation even so by the Righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto Justification of Life For as by one mans disobedience many were made sinners so by the obedience of one shall many be made Righteous Moreover the Law entred that the offence might abound but where Sin abounded Grace did much more abound That as Sin hath reigned unto Death even so might Grace reign through Righteousness unto Eternal Life by Jesus Christ our Lord. Here you see whatever the Offence of Unrighteousness and Sin and Condemnation is there is Life and Righteousness by Jesus Christ to make up the breach All that lay hold on Christ shall have Righteousness and Life by him For as Sin and Death reigned in Adam so Life and Righteousness reigns in Christ and is imputed to the Sinner by him so that Christ is rich enough to make up all Losses Alas It is not in our selves to do this In the first Adam there is Death and Condemnation and Unrighteousness and Guilt and Wrath here now must be one to satisfie here must be one to bring in Righteousness and Life and Grace and that more than sin but where is that Man that hath Righteousness and Grace abounds more than Sin Man cannot do this himself he must have one that hath an All-sufficient Righteousness and infinite Grace that may present him to the Father to be accepted that the Grace of God the Gift of Life and Righteousness may overcome and wrap up the poor Sinner wholly in it that he may be without spot or wrinkle If it be so that in Christ you shall have all your Losses made up and repaired should you not live on Christ for all you want are you sinful Christ is Righteous are you dead in Sin Christ hath brought Life and Immortality to light have you sinned to a great height Christ's Merit is
again she knew not When Jesus told her that her Brother should live saith she Lord he hath been dead four days it seemed an impossibility that he should rise again yet before she believed the Resurrection of the Dead Was it a greater impossibility to raise him up when no part of him was diminished than to raise him up at the last day Saith Christ I am the Life I will raise him up at the last day and am not I able to raise up thy Brother that hath been dead but four days So should a Believer say within himself under his Doubts and Fears Did the Lord convert me bring me out of a state of Sin and Misery quicken me when I was dead and will he not give me Life Can he raise up Lazarus when dead four days and cannot he raise up my dead Heart Saith Christ I am the Life I am the Original of Life I am the first that gives Life all are dead Sinners till I come to quicken them till I come to bring Life to your Souls Whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die for I am the Principle of their Life as I gave them Life at first so do I also continue their Life they shall never die When Death comes the Immortal Soul is alive it is but the Body that is gone to the Dust that will be raised up again that will be a glorious Body for the Soul to live with in Eternal Glory What an exceeding Joy is it then for a Believer that Christ is the Vital Fountain of his Life Though Death be at the very door it shall never come into the Soul Though there may be a Separation for a time the Soul is with Christ and the Body united to Christ that the Believer may be rather said to sleep than die The root of his Comforts are alive There may be a Death on a Believers outward Mercies and Comforts yet it shall never come into his Soul As we see the Trees in the Winter seem to be dead so the Believer they may fear the Death of their Comforts or Graces though they may have the Withdrawings of God's Presence yet as the Trees in Spring they revive and sprout forth so shall they revive and Death shall not enter into their Souls Saith Paul Who shall deliver me from the Body of this Death I thank God for the Victory through Christ There is Death in my self but Christ gives me Victory he removes it he carries it away though it be at the Door it shall never come in at the Door if there be deadness upon the Heart Christ is Life to my Soul if there be Corruptions strong and great Christ is the Fountain of Life to innoble me to outgrow all As we may say of young Children that are weak and infirm they will out-grow their Weaknesses So a Child in Christ will outgrow his Infirmities they will outgrow their Corruptions and inward Weakness they shall have Victory over them they shall be Conquerors at the last Christ being the vital Fountain of Life a Believer must needs live a growing flourishing Life the Lord Christ doth water them at the Root Psal 1. The godly man is like a Tree planted by a River of Water which withereth not but bringeth forth Fruit in due season because there is a vital Fountain there is Life at the Root Isaiah 41.18 The Prophet speaking of Christ's being Life to his Church he is said to be Rivers of water in high places Were not Christ Rivers of Water the Saints would be dry at root but he is Rivers of Waters in a dry place Small Rivers may flow from a Fountain that may be stopt Mr. Robinson's Christ all in all but Christ is the ever-flowing Fountain that none can stop Other Rivers may be stopt in time of Drought but nothing shall stop the Grace of Christ Cold Weather may freez up Rivers but the coldest deadest Heart that is shall not freez up Christ's Grace he will be Rivers of Water in dry places Other Rivers may dry of themselves but all our Unworthiness shall not bar Christ's Grace from the Soul Christ is set forth excellently by that Rock our Fathers drank of and the Rock followed them and that Rock was Christ 1 Cor. 20.4 How did the Rock follow them The Water that was in the Rock followed them by some Channels or little Rivers in the Wilderness So doth the Lord Jesus Christ his poor bewildered people he not only is ready to give them Grace but follows them with Grace and follows them with Mercy Goodness and Mercy shall follow me all the days of my Life Psal 23.6 Alas if we should stand by the Rock never so long could we by smiting cause the water to gush forth But this Water is so free that it flows to the Believer Christ follows the Believer with his Grace follows them with his comforts follows them with supports follows them with new refreshments If this Rock did not follow us it would be long enough before we should go to this Rock Christ follows the Soul with Divine Grace as the Soul stands in need of it The Rock smitten by Moses supplied the Israelites and Christ smitten by the Curse of the Law supplies the Church not with Earthly Water but with Heavenly Rivers of Grace and Comfort following Believers not for a time but indeficiently and for ever Christ told the Woman of Samaria He that drinketh of this water it shall be a Well of water springing up unto eternal Life I am the resurrection from the dead the Resurrection from the Death of Sin and also the Life of the Soul to live in and upon Christ He that believes in me shall never die no Death shall lay hold on him to ruine him nor separate him from God and though Death come on the Body he is said never to die because he shall live for ever Therefore the Saint in Christ every day he lives he is living so upon Christ that he is daily getting on his way to Glory and is nearer to Heaven and Happiness Christ saith Because I live ye shall live also If the root die the branches must needs die but the root cannot die and the branches shall not die while the root lives the branches shall not die Therefore in John 15. he saith That he is the Vine and the Believer is the Branch that is the reason the Soul that lives in Christ and one in Christ must needs live a flourishing and increasing Life because Christ is the vital Fountain of Life to keep the Soul of a Believer flourishing and green at root it shall not be like the Barren Hypocrite or barren Apostate Secondly Christ is said to come down as Rain upon his Church and People to keep them watered to keep them fresh and flourishing Now you must note there must be a good root a living root or otherwise all the rain that is will do no good to the Soul Col. 1.19 It pleased the
in Ordinances O let me have Christ or else they will be poor empty Wells without Water Clouds without Rain to my Soul Secondly He will tell you it was not only vain and foolish but altogether unprofitable Saith the Apostle What I counted gain I found loss What will it profit a man to gain the whole World and lose his own Soul Mat. 16.26 Saith the Apostle What I counted gain I found loss Alas What Profit shall I have of my Education and Learning I thought once I was as happy as another and a little Duty would make me happy for ever but I see without Christ I am undone for ever I thought if I gave God something of his due if I did some Duties and was something beyond the vain World I should be happy but I see nothing will do or can profit me without Christ for without I live in Christ I cannot enjoy Christ I cannot enjoy Grace in Christ Righteousness in Christ Faith in Christ Thirdly I see all my Duties are poor worthless things out of Christ I thought to have prayed my way to Heaven but I see all my Duties are Dross and Dung let me not meet one of them without Christ I had lost my Prayers and my Soul had not I been shipt in Christ had I not had Christ to be my all and in all I see all would have been unprofitable if I had not had Christ Prayers Sabbaths Hearing What is all my Hearing if I have not Christ So also the Supper of the Lord and other Duties what would they be to me without Christ they would be as whited Sepulchers which within are full of dead Mens Bones and all Vncleanness Mat. 23.27 O how miserable was I before I knew Christ and lived to Christ Nay saith a Believer I cannot tell you how wretched I was but I can tell you three things First I had been unprofitable I had never brought forth fruit to God Secondly Uncomfortable in Life and Death and unto all Eternity Thirdly I had been wretched and miserable O then Come to me I will tell you what God hath done for my Soul Psal 66.16 Tenthly A Believer desires neither Means nor Mercies nor Comforts but what he may enjoy Christ in because a Believer hath experienced how sweet the Life of a Believer is O taste and see that the Lord is good Psal 34.8 9. O taste and see how precious Christ is how rich in Mercy how wonderful in Love O taste and see that the Lord is good blessed is the man that trusteth in him O fear the Lord ye his Saints for there is no want to them that fear him I will tell you what Christ hath done for me I cryed unto the Lord and he heard me I have experienced it O taste and see that the Lord is good blessed is the man that trusteth in him that liveth upon him So in 1 Pet. 2.2 3 As new born babes desire the sincere milk of the Word that you may grow thereby If so be that ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious O saith the Soul I desire I may live upon Christ upon the Promises of Christ upon the Love of Christ What if you have tasted that the Lord is gracious Then let Christ be one at my Table one in my Prayers one in every Ordinance one where ever I am What have I tasted That the Lord is gracious that is the best Sawce to my Meat the best Comfort to my Soul O I have tasted What have you tasted That the Lord is gracious I experience I know what he is he is the chief of ten thousand I cannot live without him I cannot enjoy any Mercy or any Comfort without him Saith the Soul What is this Friend This is not Christ and what is this Ordinance This is not Christ What can I take Comfort in if I have not Christ The Saints can experience how precious Christ is to them that believe he is precious Mary came to the Sepulchre there was the place where her Lord lay there were the Grave-Cloths the Sepulcher but her Lord was gone where have you laid my Lord There Mary stands weeping I cannot live withou Christ So a Soul comes to an Ordinance Here is the Tomb Here is the Grave Cloths but where have they laid my Lord What comfort is this or that What is a Sabbath What is a Sermon What is a Sacrament What are Means and Mercies without Christ Where have you laid my Lord Why do you know him Yes saith the Soul he is the Chief of ten thousand I heard him speak to me my Sister my Spouse and I have felt the sounding of my Bowels toward him he hath moved my Heart and I cannot be satisfied without him I am sick unto Death if I do not enjoy Christ Thus the Soul experiences what Christ is he is the Chief of ten thousand Why he hath done more than ten thousand Worlds could have done What is he I have tasted that he is gracious I have experienced the Bowels of his Mercies the Wonders of his Grace therefore saith the Psalmist Psal 116. I belived therefore have I spoken Vers 5. Gracious is the Lord and righteous yea our God is merciful 6. The Lord preserveth the simple I was brought low and he helped me Saith the poor Soul I was as low as the Gates of Hell I was as one without hope till Christ raised me up Christ was my helper God laid help on one that was mighty what then Now will I live upon this God Return unto thy rest O my Soul for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee For thou hast delivered my Soul from death mine Eyes from Tears and my Feet from falling Thou hast delivered my Soul from Eternal Death mine Eyes from Tears of Sorrow which I had while they said Where is my God My Feet from falling into Sin I will walk before the Lord in the Land of the Living I will live upon the Lord to the Lord in the Land of the Living I believed therefore have I spoken what I set forth of the Wonders of the Lord that have I experienced And saith the Apostle 1 John 1.3 These things write we unto you that ye also may have fellowship with us and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with the Son Jesus Christ and we would have you live as we do live on Christ as we do O saith the Believer that all persons did but know Christ and live upon Christ We write unto you that ye also may have fellowship with us for truly our ends and aims are that you may live as noble lives as we do and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ It is God in Christ that we live upon and have Communion with O the Soul that experiences what it is to live on Christ desires in all things to enjoy Christ The Spouse would not step a foot without him Come my Beloved let us go forth into
rational Soul But the Soul hath new Qualities being changed by Christ dwelling in the Soul they are changed in their Understandings their Affections their Wills It may be compared to Iron put into the Fire while Iron remains red hot and the Fire is in it if you beat the Iron to pieces you cannot separate it from the Fire knock but the least piece of Iron Fire is in every piece yet the Iron is not the Fire nor the Fire the Iron yet the Iron is in the likeness of Fire So the Soul is not so changed into the Image of Christ as not to retain its own natural Faculties but by reason of Christ dwelling in it is changed in its Qualities from Evil to good So there is the Glory of Christ appearing in all the Actions of a Christian tho' they have many Infirmities yet all that they principally design is the Glory of God When Fire is in the Iron you cannot separate it you cannot say that Iron is without Fire nor Fire without Iron So in this Life you may see a Saint hath many Imperfections but yet Christ is in him swaying his Heart and Life with the Scepter of his Righteousness Though there are the same Faculties yet the Qualities are all made new So though there is corruption in Prayer and weakness in Faith and weakness in Love yet there is true Love and true Faith Repentance there is something seen of Christ in all his Infirmities 2 Cor. 6.18 We are changed from Glory to Glory 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the Lord the Spirit or the Spirit of the Lord. Dr. Owen on the Spirit in every Faculty of the Soul What a glorious change to be changed into the Image of Christ The Beams of the Sun have several effects some things it withers some things it revives The Gospel of Christ and the goodness of God that melt the Heart of a Saint hardens the Heart of an impenitent Sinner but the Soul that hath Union with Christ that Christ is his Life the Love of Christ conforms the Soul to Christ There is the meekness of Christ though not in Perfection there is the Love of Christ the Humility of Christ though not in perfection the self-denyal of Christ there is the Patience of Christ though not in perfection but through Christ you are pardoned The Soul that is changed into the Glory of Christ hath natural corruption natural backwardness but Christ being their perfect Head and spotless Righteousness they are pure and lovely in God's Eye Jesus Christ God Man hath all the glorious Idea's of God's Image and Grace shining in him as in a Glass he reflects the same in and by the Glass of the Gospel in the Hearts of Believers who by Faith contemplating are by the efficacious working of the Spirit of Grace transformed into the same glorious Image even from Glory to Glory from one degree of glorious Grace unto another Thus the believing Soul by Faith contemplating the Wisdom Meekness Patience Kindness Justice c. of God shining in Christ is by the effectual concurrence of the Spirit of Christ transformed into a wise meek patient kind and just Spirit Faith by contemplating the Glory of God in Christ brings into the Soul Spiritual Ideas of the same glorious Image a Divine Light and Life bearing some resemblance to the Life of God or Divine Nature so that Christ the essential Glass of God hath not only a manifestative Mr. Gale's Treatise of the Saints Amity with Christ but also transformative changing Glory shining in them Beloved have you not all immortal Souls What would you have your Souls be like when you come to die Would you have them like the Devil Would you have the Pride and Envy of Hell the Covetousness of Hell Or would you have the Image of Christ stamped on you that you may live Christ and lead an humble Life a meek Life a self-denying Life an holy Godly Life What likeness would you have your Souls appear in out of your Body Whose Image and Stamp would you have them bear Most Men live to themselves and make provision for the Flesh to fulfil the Lusts thereof And some live to be revenged of others to get the World of their side The Lusts Persons seek to fulfil are innumerable to speak but how would you have your Souls appear What condition would you have them in Would you have them in Christ O then beg Christ may be your Life Beg you may be changed from Glory to Glory into his Image every day of a Believers Life he is going from Glory to Glory Poor wretched ignorant Professors What do you think will become of you e're long if Christ is not your Life Eternal Death will be your Portion You see many Imperfections in a Believer yet he is perfect in Christ being changed into the Image and Glory of Christ A Believer all his works are works of Grace all his walking walks of Grace all his Actions Actions of Grace and in all that he doth there is a Glory on it through Christ his glorious Lord. They that live on external Duties they will give you the hearing of a Sermon and away they seek not to know Christ but they will be found as dreadfully miserable as the Turk or Heathen that never heard of Christ for notwithstanding their Profession they are swallowed up in the World Take a covetous Man his Heart is on this World Take a gluttonous Man his Heart is set to make his Belly his God Take a Man that lives on Christ his Heart is knit there he cleaves to the Lord with full purpose of Heart Thirdly It is a glorious Life because you have the hope of Glory You never will have the hope of Glory till you have Christ living in you Christ in you the hope of Glory 1 Tim. 1.1 If a person be without Christ he is without all true hope of Salvation there is neither hope of the Glory of God nor rejoycing in the Hope while a person is without Christ What have you hope of Glory But have you a good Hope If you come to live Christ then you have a good hope if you have Christ in you then as sure as Christ is in you you shall come to Glory Who is in you Who lives in you We know our next Neighbour we know our familiar Friend or Acquaintance Who do you converse with Who is your near Neighbour Christ or the World Christ or vain Thoughts Christ or Carnality Is Christ in you If Christ is in you then he reigns in you and you converse most with him What is your daily Food your Livelyhood Mistake me not I would not have you neglect your daily Calling I hope you understand me better But what do you make the chief of your Aims and Ends What takes up your Heart most Does the Love of Christ the Mercy of Christ the Peace of Christ affect you most If so I tell you you live a glorious Life