I Chap+ Sect 1(. tlilllm: lllttl) m>etnlS. Book n. 43 ~~--------------~--------;-;-~~-- biJ goint, forth ir prep.red aJ th~ 11.•oming,, and heJhall cam~ unto 111 aJ:he rai1~, .,tht latttr and former ,.;n umo tbe rartb: Well (faith Sat~n ) If It be thus, I~ nothmg but Jefus Chrifi will [erve the turn, 1f a light of Chnfi be the next thmg lopked after, then take a view of Chrifi in his beautie.,graces, fw.eetnelfes; acquaint thy,Celf with the hillory ofCiuiHfrom firtl to la.£\ ; learn him in his natures, perfon, incornati0n, offi~ ces indowments; for his Natures he is Gud and man , ~14r9rJ"@' God manife~ed in the flejh; for his Per!Qn, he is the fecond perfon iB the Trinity, in which perfim both the NHures are united; for his Incarnation' he was COIICtived of the Holy Ghqj!, b,r~ '[ the Vtrgin M;ry; for his Olli~e~ .he is a King, a Pricfi, ~nd ~Prophet;. and for his Enaowmonts, he remved the Sp1~1t wnhout meafme, 111 h1m are hid all the maftues ot wifdome and knowlcdg, in which refpect he is faid to be f•ire~ than aU the Cbildrw ofmcn : why all this ( faith Satan ) I am willing thou 1ho\lldfi learn tludy, and gain as much of the fpeculative, notionalknowlodg of Chrill. as potfibiy ·thou caMft; bnch out (if thou wilt) into t~e deep que£\ionsand controvcrlics of three Perfons m one Nature, and oftwo !:<aturesm one Perlon; conft1lt all School• men in their hot difputes, and new opinions, there thou may£\ bear fllough of the loondof hi• name : Oh the temptations of Satan, when he hears !inners complain! Wlw? no remedy for aJi~t-fick..fonl.; i1 there no balm in Gilead, no PhJfttian there? And when the anfwer is given no, t.here is no other uame under heaven, whereby pollibly thou canll bef•ved, but only Jdus Chrift : U:hy .then let mefee Chrijf ( faith the Soul) give mt avie"'. of Jefiu, or I dye, I am u11dom~ 1 perijh cvcrlajiillgly : Hereupon 11eps in Satan, faymg, Come, thou !halt have a view of Chnfi, I am no enemy to a gt· neral, notional, ~itlorica\, fpecu)ative knowl~g~ of]efus Chritl, ou)y cohtent thy felf with Chrifi asan object of Knowledge, a11d not of Faith. And thus Satan tleals witl1 Souls, as we do with Suvcyors of Lands, that take an exact compafs of our ground; or lands, of which they {hall never enJoy a foot; and many are taken in this finre : There is much t~lking of Cluift, many luxuriat.e into a Theordical knowledge, a mecr Brain-knowledge of Ckri!t, that have no right'nor title toChrifi, nor ever look af. tcr it, an~ fo they mifcarry. SECT. XI. Of the Son/J wrej!ling rttith.Satiln, a1 11 thiJ afJault• .TO this alfau\t .you mull ufe t~eferepulfes. -- ._ . r· Labourfo to kno'k~hrill,-asto ~ve your heartstakcQ up with the pra• cti<al admiration ofthe Glory of Chrill above all glories in the ..World, that is true knowledge ,' which ,fiirs up al(ections in rh~ heart,,and the effects thereofin your lift~ and the tirft alf~~ion that. is Hirred up i•~.the hearts of men at the light of ~hriH, it is a wondring and admiring ar the glqnes, fplendours, and excellenciei that are in Chritl; hiJ Na•ztfh;U be called'WenderfuU: YOLJ have fcen many wonders abroad,you bave . . , ' {een the hcaveilS , and the earth , at which Y"U many ti!TICS Wopder ; but when lfll, 9,i, God darts li ;ht into y~urfpirirs, to caufe you to lee the b~autiesofJef)lsChrill, all other wonders wiJI c<Jfe, ancj give way to this great wonper : ~s the !tars, though they be glorious Creatures in therr;~felves, yet when th.e Sun arifes, all their gto~y is eclipfed.; fo though God hath many WQnders m the world, yet when the Som of .righteoufnef> arif~th, •11 other works of God are d~rkned with. the glory of him.' <;:mainly that Soui kuows n~t God nor Chrill favingly, that knows him not practically as the wonder of the world, and focryes out, Oh the he>!,ht, and depth, and bredth, Rndlmgth of the glory of God in Jeflu Chrift! . •· Labour fo ro k110w Chrill, a~ to have a practidi1 and experimental know~ ledge of Chrift in his mfiuences, and not me!!rly a notional. Alas ! Ouill is but a meer notion, and ifi1agination ro motl people in ,the world ; hpw lew know Je(us Chrift by way ot influence, ant\ power, and tellowlhip with him> It is faid of them that fear his name, that Chrijl the 8onoJ rightloufoefi wiU arife with beating in ~i1 wings,_and they fh•lt gof.,rtb, and grow "P aJ the calveJ nf tbe Fall : ThiS .clear~ it up, tha.t as the Md 1 c 4 , 2 ; Sun by an inHuwce into the earth doth quicken an.d enlivet) the earth, and makes all the teedsandroots hidden in the eatth to revive, and put .them[dves forth to fprout · ~nd llounfh; fo there IS an mfluence go111g forth from the Son of righteoulnefs int9 the Souls. of men, to make them of dead to bc~ome ltvinjl, a.nd of buren to becorpe_ G 2 · • fruitful
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=