44 .. t j •••• fruitful;- and this i> calltd thepowerofChrifi:, tb.Jt I may k._nan>him, and the po..,er o[hir Ke/umll'io.n, (i.) ~hat [may ktH>W Ch11fl, and. be made partaker ofthe good thiogs 11 ing from .Chrill ;.this IS th~ vrnce o6 0~11' that would favingly .know Chrift ;o;b that I n;,ry '<Jww hmt 11'1 "'Prophet •nJI:r-Hl'lz~<g me, ,u a Pm[! fan£fifyi¥g me, and K>ng reigni>tg JPirit1~"rtT i~ me ? 01> >~at I· may. k._noJ> the po..u of hi·s ~ " "{ii"" i11 the vivifto<Uiol<' of my fml, in- the abolition of my fin, in the aqnifit· ef– ri'gbteoztfnrfs, ,din the rejl oring ofme to 1he affurcrJI/ope offuum glory$ The dev~on of great entmy 10an hifioricat knowledge oft~ Prophetical, Ptiellly, and. Kingly 0~~~ af Clmll, or of !!le RelimeCb•m of Chnfi, ot: whtch P4nk lpeakes. ·Sync<doch· . 1 ly; but to !he h0ly v;nue and powe» w~ich comes from Chrill i11 any of !hefe IC~ - ticul:us, he is a deadly enemy; i! is-your d~t)' rht•ero~e fu 10 know Chrifi·, as ;h;; you may fee~ the heavenly mflueacesof what ever you ~11ow ofCh>ift: ~·er intlan · is onep:ut ofthe- cry Otl>at I may JtH~'*- Chrift •t.r "Jlr'aph.r injfruc1ing me !'H~e, •.t rhat ~ why Chrilf• in his Pwpho1ical O(li~e teacherl1. the Matt concerning hi f.: whidrnone <an do but only Jefus Chrifr. I~ill ,;or druy. bm men vr Angel; m~ai prefe~>t ' uurhs, ,and wnvut<:e ~he unclufiandn>g, but they_ <a~noc fo make known a truth, as 1 to gam rhe heart by It, oY to transf()•m the heart mto tho very image ofeh t tmth ; only Jtfus Chrill in tht adrniniftra~ioo of the.Pro~het~cal Office teaches and P a_ nils wirh the heart when he comes with truths. We fee many· ~ople come r~ Sermons, and there Chrifi is op<ned c~arly and dillindly, and thtrcupon theyget fome notional, fpe~ative brain· knowledge ofJcfus Chrifi, bur theY: art 'lOt changed; u\eir hearts are not OOJer•powred. At anmher -tmtethe fame perlons rn~ycomeroaS·ermon, when Chrifi is nam~d only by t~tBy, at:d. rhe~their hearts arc mightily wrou~htupon, and they go away laymg, Vetzly God»wthu plaet ; why now Cbril! !peak;eo the heart, and before man fpeakes only to the ear. z.lt is another part ofthe cry Oh tbat I may knon> tht p•wer oft~ Itt[um[/ion_ofehrijr! How is that? why there i~ a vertuc flowing from the Rcfurretho~ofClmtl horn the g~ave , to the Reft1rredion of the Souls et'men from the death of fin: AJ_ Chriji J>aJ 1aifuifrom tbe de•d by theglory of the Father, even fo we alfo jbotfld .,all<, tn >tewn<fs of lift. And this influence of ChriCl is called, 1he exceeding grednefs of his fOJ>tr : it i< exceeding great power that by the Refurredion of Chritl, an holy .and grac10us changelhould be wrought in the fouls of men, from death to life, fr~m bondage to libcny, from uncleanneiS to holinefs, and from the power of Satat unto God. Oh that thus you would libour to know Chrill in a powerful, practical and experimental knowledge. 3· Labour fo to knowCluifi, as to make him the objedofyour faith, and not meerly as the object of your knowledj;: Many !tudy Chritl, but herein they act OJl– Jy as Students, and not as believers : Oh be acquainted with 'this Myllery of Grace! the very letting of Chrifi b<fore the foul, as the full objed: of jullifying faith, hat!T a mighty power to draw out faith UP,On Jefus Chri~; as the feuing of a temptation before a tnan, bath a power to draw out his corruptiOns, fo the fecring ofChrill in his glory and excellency, in his active and p~llivc obedience, in what he Is, and what he c<~me i>Jto the world for, as an object of faith, it bath a mighty power both to draw out faith where itif, and to caufe or procure faith where it is nor :Chrill is not only an ob. jcct for you to work upon when you- have fait~, but fuch an object, as being fet before the foul, bath a quttknmg power to cauk faith: lt may be your complaint, Cbrift ii 4gloriottJ objtGI ondud,ht i1 the chitjdl often tboufantb,bttt ala1,I am deatl. in fin,and I want • famlty to fie himJ•vingly in ·all hi! gloriu. Wby' now fee (. hriil before you as the object of faith, and fooner or later, if you belong to him, you will feel his in• llu~nces ; he is not only an object offaith for the foul to work upon, when it can fee but fuch an object, as the very .fetting of it before the foul, bath a quickning power ro work lite in the foul, to caufe the eye to fee him, and to caufe the heart to make aftel' .him, tbongh it were oev<r fo deail. "1• Labour fo to kno"' Chrill, as he i.< your righteoufneiS, both to expiate f0rmer iniquities, and to yield obedience to the Law for yoor'Juliitication. This isthe Sptrits fecond cOBvidion ofall whom he .purpoferh for Salvation : l'irtl he convinceth them' of(hi, and feaondly he convin'cerh them of righree>Ufrlefs; but of what, or 'Whofe righteoufneiS? Surely not'Of their own• . Alas! fouls in this cafe ufually look upon themfelves, firtl as !inners, obnoxious to the Law ofGod, lmdche curfethereof, and theretore ·never able to expiate fin. Secondly, as creatures made to a fupematural· end, ·and thcrcfore bound to anfwer the whole mind of God, in the obedience · · reqmred
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=