indeed this is that which gives all the rest an advantage against them but even this greatest Enemy Christ has conquered for them Hence he is said to have condemned sin in the flesh he for sin condemned sin in the flesh Rom. 8.3 i. e. He by being made a Sacrifice for Sin hath killed and subdued Sin past a sentence of Death and Condemnation upon Sin for ever Hence also our old Man is said to be crucified with him that the body of sin might be destroyed Rom. 6.6 Hence also he is said to destroy sin to take away sin and the like And how Why as to the Reign and Power as well as the Guilt and Curse of it And this Paul acted by the Spirit of Faith could triumph in even whilst he was in the sharpest conflicts with sin Rom. 7.23 24 25. I thank God through Christ sayes he For what why for victory over and deliverance from that Law of Sin he was now conflicting with 2. He has conquered Self for them Self as well as Sin is our deadly Enemy This indeed is a near close Enemy and most difficult to be slain This is an Enemy that we are too too loth many times to have destroyed and yet an Enemy which makes woful spoyl upon us and our happiness I often think of the Speech of an Holy and Learned Divine Oh sayes he if I could be Master of that House-Idol my Self my own my own Will Wit Credit and case how blessed were I O but we have need sayes he to be redeemed from our selves rather than from the Devil and the World And presently again he cries out O wretched Idol my Self When shall I see the wholly decourted and Christ wholly put in thy room And who that have any acquaintance with themselves do not find cause to cry out in like manner Oh this Self this wretched Self how great an Enemy is it Well but this Christ hath conquered and closing with him thou shalt by degrees find it to die and fall under thee Paul did so I am crucified with Christ sayes he nevertheless I live yet not I Gal. 2.20 He had an I a Self which ruled in him but by Christ 't was crucified and slain for him and he was a conquerer over it 3. He has conquered the World for them Take the World in what notion you will and 't is in one respect or other an Enemy to the Saints the Men of the World the Things of the World the Frowns of the World the Flatteries of the World they all one way or other fight against them and are Enemies to them The World as well as Sin and Self is a mortal Enemy to them But this Enemy also Christ has subdued and conquered for them and he has told them so much for their comfort under the oppositions they meet with from it Job 16.23 Be of good chear I have overcome the World sayes he q. d. the World is your Enemy but 't is a conquered Enemy 't will moless and oppose you but it shall not be able to hurt you for have conquered it for you And as he has conquered it for us so he will enable us closing with him by Faith to conquer it so 1 John 5.4 This is the victory which overcometh the World even our Faith The World shall not alwayes annoy and infest the Saints 4. He has conquered the Devil yea all the Devils in Hell for them The Devil is the Enemy of the Saints and indeed he is a formidable one an Adversary that goes about like a roaring Lyon seeking whom he may devour 1 Pet. 5.8 He is a subtil a potent a malicious a cruel and an indefatigable Enemy But so formidable an Enemy as he is Christ hath conquered him for them hence he is said to have destroyed the Devil he partook of flesh and blood that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death that is the Devil Heb. 2.14 and to have spoiled Principalities and Powers and to have made a shew of them openly on his Cross tryumphing over them Col. 2.15 dragging them at his Charriot-Wheels as was the manner sometimes for Conquerers to deal by their vanquished Enemies The sum is that he hath made a compleat and glorious conquest over all the Devils in Hell for Believers He has conquered them even to triumph Christ has conquered the Devil for his Spouses as to his ruling reigning and commanding power and he will and does conquer him at last yea speedily as to his tempting vexing and seducing power The God of Peace shall tread Satan under your feet shortly Rom. 16.20 Shortly Soul the Devil shall vex thee no more molest thee no more infest and annoy thee by his temptations no more 5. He has conquered Death for them Death is an Enemy and 't is the last Enemy that is to be destroyed so the Apostle tells us 1 Cor. 15.26 and in it self considered a terrible Enemy 't is 't is the King of terrors Job 18.14 But this Enemy hath Christ conquered for all his He has taken away all its killing power its sting and curse in so much that they may holily triumph over it and rejoyce in its approach the Apostle did so 1 Cor. 15.55 56 57. Death sayes he is swallowed up in victory O Death where is thy Sting O Grave where is thy Victory The sting of Death is Sin the strength of Sin is the Law but thanks be to God who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ O what a triumph does he here act over Death through the conquest Christ has gotten over it for him Truly this Enemy is so far conquered by him for them that 't is become indeed a friend to them and they can when in a right spirit embrace it as such and long for it as such Christ by Death has unstung Death and in a sort undeatht it Thus Christ has conquered all his Peoples Enemies and they being made one with him in a Marriage-Covenant all his Victories are theirs and his Conquests theirs and they are conquerers over all in him and oh how sweet how incouraging is this and how should it win Souls to a close with him poor Soul thou seest thy self environed with Enemies thou art hard beset on all hands legions of Lusts and Devils attended with Self Death and the World oppose themselves against thee and thou art often crying out as David in another case 2 Sam. 3.19 I am weak and these men the Sons of Zerviah are too strong for me yea thou art ready to say of them as he sometimes in his unbelief did of Saul 1 Sam. 27.1 I shall one day perish by the hand of Saul Alas I am a weak nothing-Creature and am unable to grapple with the least of all mine Enemies and how then shall I stand up against them all surely I shall perish by them at last Well Soul but know for thy encouragement that all thine Enemies are conquered by Christ and though
1st in that he gave him for us he gave him to be incarnate to suffer to bleed to dye to be made sin and a curse for us he gave him as an Offering and a Sacrifice for us and secondly in that he gives him also to us he gives him to be an Head and Husband to us Hence 't is said That he gave him to be Head to the Church and such an Head as has the command and dispose of all things He gave him to be Head over all things to the Church Ephes 1.22 both in the Counsel of his Will from Eternity and also in the Act or Worlt of his Grace here in Time he thus gives Christ to us And O how richly and gloriously doth his Grace shine forth herein In giving Christ to us he gives his best and his dearest for he has nothing better nothing dearer to him than his Christ as afterwards may be shewn Secondly He gives the Soul for a Bride or Spouse to Christ Believers you know are often said to be given by the Father to Jesus Christ My Father which gave them me sayes Christ concerning Believers is greater than all Joh. 10.29 And thine they were and thou gavest them me Joh. 17.6 with many other places which might be mentioned God gives all the Elect to Christ to be his Spouse he gives them to him first in the eternal purpose and counsel of his Grace in the day of everlasting love when God first set his heart upon his chosen onâ—s then gave he them to his Son and will'd their union to him in a Marriage-Covenant and he gives them to him also secondly in the work of Vocation which makes way for the working of Faith in Christ in the Soul Fater hanc 〈…〉 The Father sayes one hath given this Spouse to his Son speaking of his Church and joyns her to him by his Spirit And my Beloved without this Act of Grace put forth by God towards us the Match would never be made between Christ and any poor Soul for this indeed is that which brings the Soul to Christ So much Christ himself tells us John 6.37 All that the Father giveth me shall come to me Mark 't is the Fathers giving us to Christ that brings us to him and were we not by the Father given to him we should never come to him by believing and if we never came to him by believing there could never be a Marriage-union and relation between him and us III. Christ readily approves and accepts of the Fathers Gift being willing yea longingly desirous to espouse them unto himself whom his Father gives him in order thereunto In the making up of a Marriage 't is not enough that the Father gives such or such an one to his Son and his Son to her but there must also be the consent of the Son he must approve and accept of the Fathers Gift and so does Christ here he approves and accepts of the Fathers Gift the Father wills his taking such and such poor sinners to Wife and accordingly gives him to them and them to him and the Will of Christ falls in with and is conformed to the Will of the Father herein and so the Match goes on this you have clearly held forth John 6.37 All that the Father hath given me cometh unto me and him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out Mark Here are among others two things 1. Here is the Fathers giving of poor sinners to Christ and therein his will and consent that they should be espoused to him that in these words All that the Father hath given me 2. Here is Christs approbation and acceptation of this Gist of the Father with his will and consent to espouse them to himself that in these words And him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out that is I will assuredly receive him and accept of him I will take him into a conjugal union and relation to my self Christ here plainly declares his acceptance of the Father's Gift giving poor sinners to him to be his Spouses 'T is a great Saying and sutable to this I am speaking which I have read in a great Divine Praecedit aeterna Dei voluntas Christus vero sponus non potest non velle quod vult Pater ideo nos â—ccipit ut sponsam suam The eternal will and good pleasure of God precedes sayes he but Christ the Bridegroom cannot but will the same thing which the Father wills his Will is conformed to the Fathers and therefore does he accept us as his Spouse In a word in this Act of Grace Christ's Language is such as this Father dost thou give such and such poor sinners to me and is it thy Will that they should be espoused to me Content I do freely accept of them and am willing to espouse them to my self for ever 't is true they are poor worthless Creatures altogether unsutable to my dignity and greatness but Father they are thy Gift and I accept of them as such true there is no beauty in them that I should desire them but they are thy Gift and I will marry them and make them beautiful and Oh what Grace is this IV. The Lord Jesus Christ not onely approves and accepts of the Fathers Gift but moreover he redeems them thus given to him with the price of his own Blood he ransoms them from Sin and Death and Hell whereunto in themselves they were all in bondage which also necessarily concurs to the accomplishment of the espousal between him and them 'T is observed by some that in the Eastern Countries it was the manner for men to buy their Wives and indeed so much seems to be intimated in that Message of Saul to David 1 Sam. 18.25 where when he would perswade David to marry his Daughter in pretence at least he sends him word that he desired not any Dowry but so and so It seems then that it was usual to expect a Dowry The same also appears by the practice of Shechem Gen. 34.11 12. where being in love with Dinah Jacobs Daughter he profered to give a Dowry for her Give me sayes he but thy Damosel to Wife and ask me never so much Dowry and Gift and I will give it thee To be sure so 't is here Christ buyes all his Spouses and gives a vast Gift for them Christ indeed is in love with poor sinners given him by the Father and desires to marry them to himself but he must buy them if he means to have them and buy them he does and at a dear rate he gives a great Dowry for them even his Life his Blood his Glory and all for a time Hence he is said to give himself for us Ephes 5.25 and to purchase us by his Blood Acts 20.28 Hâ—nâ—e we are said to be bought by him with a price with a great price a price of inestimable value even his own most precious Blood 1 Cor. 6.20 The case lies thus the
of excuse or apology for themselves Verily nothing but will be Speechless as he is said to be Mat. 22.12 They can't say they were not warned of the evil of sin They can't say that pardon and Salvation were not offer'd them They can't say that the offer was not full and free and clear They can't say they had to do with an hard Master nor can they say that sin is not worthy of death They will have nothing to say Secondly it leaves you without the least room or place of appeal for ever I may say here as 't is said in anorher case 1 Sam. 2.25 If one man sin against another the judge shall judge him but if a man sin against the Lord who shall intreat for him So if a man sin against the Law by transgressing of it he may appeal to the Gospel and the grace of Christ there But if a man sin against Christ and his Grace offer'd in the Gospel where then shall he appeal Verily there is no appeal to be made no relief to be found for him If a man be condemn'd at the seat of justice as having sinn'd against the Law he may appeal unto the mercy-seat the throne of Grace and sind sweet relief but if he sin against the mercy-seat and the throne of Grace then he has nothing to appaal to that may administer relief to him Now by refusing of Christ we sin against the Throne of Grace we pull down what in us lies the mercy-seat and where then shall we appeal O consider these things and learn by them to dread this sin of refusing Christ I might say much more to convince you of the hainous evil of it but let this suffice Sure I am 't is enough to and had we the due sense of it upon our Spirits it would make us tremble at it for ever 3. Wouldest thou indeed be Espoused to Christ Then give not way to the discouragements of sense but bear up thy Soul upon the encouragements of Faith upon such Gospel-principles considerations as do tend to draw sinners to Faith in Christ Possibly upon reading and considering the woeful misery of thy condition without Christ and the dreadful hainousness of thy sin and guilt in thy long and frequent refusing of him discouragements not a few may arise within and indeed no sooner usually does a poor Soul look towards Christ or think of closing with him in a Marriage-Covenant but presently multitudes of discouragements arise to deter him there from O says he what a monstrous sinner am I How have I despised Christ and his grace How long have I stood it out against him I have serv'd my lusts all my dayes and rejected his calls To what purpose do I now talk of closing with him These and multitudes such like discouragements do arise in the Soul which being given way to do effectually keep him from Christ But if ever Soul thou wouldest attain to Union and communion with him thou must shut thine eyes and heart too against all discouragements of this nature and though they press in upon thee again and again yet thrust them out fixing thine eye and heart upon the encouragements of Faith dwell much in the thoughts of them and bear up thy soul upon such Gospel principles and considerations as do tend to weaken unbelief beget Faith in the soul and for thy help herein I shal mention some of these encouragements of Faith or Gospel-principles which I would have thee to be serious and frequent in the contemplation of 1. The first Gospel-principle or encouragement of Faith which thou shouldst bear up thy Soul upon and be frequent in the contemplation of is this that there is a rich a glorious and an overflowing fulness of all good treasured up in Christ for poor Sinners and that his Grace does abundantly exceed both our wants and sins 'T is the work and nature of unbelief to little and limit the fulness of Christ in the eye of the soul It shews the soul the multitude of his sins and wants but it conceals and Locks up Christs treasures and fulness And whatever we pretend the ground of our not closing with Christ at least one principal one is this that we doubt of his fulness we do not see enough in Christ to supply our wants and relieve our distresses Unbelief perswading us that Christ is not the Christ the Scripture represents him to be But Soul away with all such apprehensions and dwell thou in the contemplation of Christ's infinite fulness Look to him as one infinitly able to supply thy wants to pardon thy sins to healthy maladies to subdue thy lusts to sanctifie thy heart and to save thy Soul eternally Look upon him as the Scripture represents him The Scripture tells thee That it pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell Col. 1.19 All fulness of Grace and life all fulness of peace and pardon all fulness of Righteousness and Salvation There is in Christ not onely a fulness of abundance but of redundance an over-flowing fulness a fulness infinitly superabounding our sins and wants The Scripture tells us That he is able to save unto the very uttermost all that come unto God by him Heb. 7.25 Save able to save able to save to the uttermost and that not one or two but all that come unto God by him The Scripture speaks of Christs unsearchable riches Eph. 3.8 The Ocean of his Grace is not to be sounded by the longest line of the largest created understanding Paul experienced the superabounding fulness of his Grace and has left it upon record for our encouragement 1 Tim. 1.14 The Grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant it was more then enough I found more Grace in Christ as one expresses it then I knew what to do withall and yet what was this Paul Himself tells you in the very v. before and after he was a Blasphemer a Persecutor and the chief of Sinners a man every way of as many sins and wants as thou art Accordingly view him and bear up thy Soul in the face of all discouragements Reason thus with thy self True my condition is sad my wants are exceeding many and my sins exceeding great But what then Is there no Balm in Gilead Is there no Physitian there Is not Christ able to save me and that to the utmost notwithstanding all Look O my soul yonder is sweet Jesus upon the Throne at the Fathers Right Hand full of Grace and truth look upon him and consider What are all thy wants to his Riches and fulness What are all thy miseries and distresses to his Bowels of Mercy What are all thy sins to the merit of his Blood thy provocations to his fatisfaction Were thy wants more and greater then they are his fulness could supply them all were thy sins greater and more hainous then they are his Blood could cleanse thee from all The Blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin 1 Jo. 1.7 There is infinitly
more worth in his merits to pardon and justifie thee then there is evil in thy sins to damn destroy thee True I have a Fountain of sin and guilt and death in me But here 's a deeper Fountain of Grace and life righteousness in him see O my Soul see how vast and large his treasures of Grace and Glory are and bear up thy self upon them O did Sinners dwell more in the view of the Glorious fulness of Christ they would be more in love with him and hereby would counter-work and undermine unbelief in one of its greatest artifices whereby it keeps souls from him I shall here for thy encouragement onely subjoyn the saying of a worthy Divine Christ sayes he can and it becometh him well to give more then my narrow soul can receive If there were ten thousand thousand millions of worlds and as many heavens full of men and Angels Christ would not be pinched to supply all their wants and to fill them all Christ is a Well of Life but who knoweth how deep it is to the bottom 2. The second Gospel-principle or encouragement of Faith which thou should'st bear up thy soul upon and be frequent in the contemplation of is this That as there is such a Glorious and in-exhaustible fulness in Christ so this fulness is in him not for himself but to be dispensed and communicated to poor Souls coming to him True may the Soul say here 's fulness enough riches and treasures enough of all good in Christ but what 's this to me or wherein does it concern me Wherein does it concern thee Why 't is wholly thy concern and the concern of such as thou art For what ever fulness he has in him 't is treasur'd up in him for Souls for Sinners yea for the worst of Sinners How sweet is that word Psa 68.18 where speaking of Christ the holy Ghost tells us that he hath received gifts for men He hath received gifts i. e. He has a fulness of all good in his hand and at his dispose and this for men I but I am a devil sayes the soul a rebel what 's this to me observe what follows and thou wilt find it concerns thee yea thee especially He hath received gifts for men yea for the rebellious also Hence also 't is that he is said to be made Head over all things to the Church Eph. 1.22 He has all fulness dwelling in him but 't is as an head and so 't is all for the use and service of the body for every poor soul that comes to him And therefore 't is added Head over all things to the Church i e. For the Churches use and service of which he is Head Take a view of all that fulness that is in Christ and 't is all as much and as really for the use and service of such as come to him and are made members of his body as the treasures and endowments of the natural head are for the use and service of the natural body and the members thereof And O what an encouragement is this to Faith 'T is the observation of a learned man upon the place last quoted Lest sayes he we should think this great glory of Christ to be a thing that does not concern us Ne summam illam Christi gloriam putemus aliquid a nobis alienum esse testatur illum esse a Deo patre totius Ecclesiae Beza he is here declar'd to be constituted and appointed by the Father to be Head of the whole Church Well then soul bear up thy self upon this encouragement Say look O my soul look unto sweet Jesus who hath received Gifts for men View him as one that has received a fulness of all Grace from the Father on purpose to be dispens'd and communicated to thee and to such as thou art He has life in him and he has it for thee he has peace and pardon in him and he has it for thee He has wisdom and righteousness Grace and Glory in him and he has it for thee and for such as thou art and therefore go to him expect all from him cast all upon him 3. The third Gospel-principle or encouragement of Faith which thou shouldst bear up thy soul upon and dwell much in the contemplation of is this that there is a perfect freedom and willingness in Christ yea 't is even genuine and naturall to him to bestow himself with all his Glorious riches and fulness upon poor souls coming to him Christ as you heard has all this fulness in him as an head so you have it expresly Col. 1.18 19. Now as 't is genuine and naturall to the head to minister influence to the members So 't is even genuine and naturall to Christ to communicate his Grace to poor souls Besides all that fulness that is in Christ 't is in him not as God onely but as man 'T is deposited and treasured up in his human nature It pleased the Father that in him should all fulness dwell Col. 1.19 In him i. e. as a learned man expounds it in the man Christ or in that human nature in which he dyed and transacted the business of our Salvation In co i. e. In homine Christo vel in humana illa natura in qua obivit administravit negotium salutis nostrae Daven 'T is true the God-head or Divine nature is the first spring or Fountain of all Graee but the human nature of Christ is as it were a second spring and Fountain of Grace That is as a treasury or Store-house wherein all Grace is laid up for us Hence 't is said that as the Father hath life in himself so he hath given to the Son to have life in himself because he is the Son of man Joh 5.26 27. Christ as God hath life i.e. all Grace originally and independently in him as the Father hath Indeed as God he is the same infinite and independent Fountain of Life and Grace with the Father but 't is as man that he is said to have Life and Grace given to him The sum then is That that Glorious fulness of Grace that is in Christ for Sinners is Fountain'd up in his human nature and being Fountain'd up in his human nature it will and can't but slow yea overflow to and upon poor souls that cast themselves upon him The truth is 'T is to charge Christ with unkindness and unsaithfulness both at once to suppose him unwilling to communicate himself and his fulness to Sinners coming to him and soul canst thou find in thy heart to lay so blacka charge upon so sweet and good a Christ 'T is the way and work of the devil and unbelief to perswade Souls that Christ will not receive them nor communicate his Grace and fulness to them though they should come to him which they endeavour to do from the consideration of his greatness and holiness together with their vileness and sinfulness Christ say they is choice
through their word that they all may be one as thou Father art in me and I in thee that they also may be one in us Pray mark he prayes for the accomplishment of this Union for them as the top and perfection of all their happiness and not only so but as that which comes as near the great Union between his Father and Himself as can well be conceived 'T is a sweet saying which one of the Ancients has upon these words of Christ What more glorious Vnum in nobis sicut tu ego unum sumus Quid hac Vnitate gloriosius Quid ultra vel optare poteris vel habere unum cum sponso tuo eris O foelix foelicior imò omnium foelicissima unitas Bern. sayes he than this Vnion What further or higher poor Soul canst thou either have or desire to have than this thou shalt be one with thy Bridegroom O happy exceeding happy yea of all others most happy Vnion In a word nearer than this Creatures can't well be taken unto Christ nor can they have a greater glory put upon them then there is put upon them in their being taken into this Union Relation to him how great therefore must the love and condescention of Christ herein to Believers be O for him to take such so near himself as to make them one with him to lay them in his bosom to communicate himself to them This is love indeed and this we should contemplate and admire 2. How great is the comfort and happiness of Believers in being thus married and espoused to Christ We say of such or such a Woman that is well married that she is well disposed of and is very happy in an Husband But O Soul how well art thou disposed of who art disposed of to Christ And how happy art thou in an Husband who art married to him What Soul married to Jesus to sweet Jesus to lovely Jesus to Jesus the Son of God! O what sweet what strong consolation may this be to thee and how should it fill thy heart with holy triumph and exultation for ever This alone may comfort thee in all the difficulties and troubles of Life and in all the conflicts and agonies of Death Cast thine eye back on the nature of this Espousal and what an Husband Christ is and what great things he does for his Spouses as the one and the other of them has been declared and then judge of thine own happiness in being taken into this Relation to him In Cant. 6.9 't is said concerning the Spouse of Christ That the Daughters saw Her and blessed Her yea the Queens and the Concubines and they praised Her They look't upon Her to be the most happy on Earth And truly Soul when I look upon thee as the Spouse of Christ I can't but in like manner bless and praise thee and thou thy self mayst well bless thy self and say Blessed be the day that ever I was born blessed be the Womb that bare me and blessed be the Paps that gave me suck But yet to raise this comfort and happiness of thine a little higher that thou mayest rejoyce in thy Lot the lines being fallen to thee in pleasant places consider three things I. Consider that this Relation of thine to Christ gives thee a full interest in him and all that is his This the Spouse much gloried and rejoyced in as her Crown and Happiness therefore she is frequently up with it in a way of holy boasting My beloved is mine and I am his Cant. 2.16 And again I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine Chap. 6.3 Being espoused to Christ Christ is thine and Christ being thine his Blood is thine his Righteousness is thine his Love is thine his Fulness is thine the Fruit of all his Sufferings the Vertue of all his Offices the Sweetness of all his Relations is thine Christ being thine all is thine all the promises are thine all the Ordinances are thine Life is thine Death is thine Time is thine Eternity is thine Things present are thine Things to come are thine 1 Cor. 3.22 O what a goodly Heritage hast thou and how should thy Soul bless the Lord that ever he drew thee into this Union and Relation to him What a spring of comfort may this be to thee in all conditions Fear not for thou shalt not be ashamed Why For thy Maker is thy Husband Isa 54.4 5. The truth is though possibly thou mayest have little of this World yet in having Christ thou hast all thou needst and art capable of to make thee happy for ever II. Consider that this Union and Relation of thine to Christ remains firm and stedfast for ever And O what sweetness does this add unto it True may the Soul say this Relation is a blessed Relation and full of sweetness and comfort But will it hold Yea it will hold and that for ever the best comforts thou enjoyest here below will shortly have a period and the sweetest Relations thou standst in here will after a while be dissolved and broken but thy Union and Relation to Christ will last for ever that can never be dissolv'd I will betroth thee unto me sayes God yea I will betroth thee unto me but Lord for how long may the Soul say why for ever sayes God Hos 2.19 O that word for ever this puts an infinite sweetness into this Relation of thine This one word for ever as one observes upon this place makes a misery though but small in it self an infinite misery and a mercy though but small in it self even an infinite mercy How much more does it make that which in it self is so great as thy Union and Esponsal to Christ is sweet and desirable O but sayes the Soul never was there such a wretch as I am never did any carry it towards Christ as I do True he has made love to me and I have some hopes that I have closed up with him in a Marriage-Covenant but alas never was there such a rebellious revolting backsliding heart as mine is I am ever playing the Harlot and going a whoring from him by means of which I fear he will break Union and Communion with me and at last cast me off I answer Truly Soul this is very sad and thou shouldst lie low in the dust in the sense of it yet to encourage thee against thy fears consider three things 1. Consider that Christ is not forward to take advantage against Souls for their failings and breakings with him He is not strict to mark what is done amiss Psal 130.3 He is not prone to cast off and to put away no 't is what he hates Mal. 2.16 True he may and many times does withdraw from us and frown upon us but putting away he loves not yea he pitties and spares us under our infirmities and his Bowels are mov'd for us 2. Consider that before ever Christ made love to thee and took thee into this Relation with himself he knew