'4 Book I. 1Looktng unto 'jlcfus. ally fer on Chrlfd Say not,_ you are ""able to do thra, thu muft be Gods work_one/ , "11 ~"" I\cfi ~nd ther.fore all_oHr exhortattons are m VAtn. * A learped Divme can tdl you, thou ')'ft God be the ch1ef d1fpofer of your l'earrs, yet next imd<1 IHm you ha.e rhe great~fi: cotnmandofthemyour felves: though wtthoHtChrijf )'OU candonorhmg, yet ur.der hi,tt you may do much; or elfe lt Will be undone, and you undone through your neglect. do your ow_n parts~ and you have no caufe to difrruft whether Chrift will do his it i; not ufual ~uhClmft to forfake hiS '?wn people in tlm very work he fcts them on._ Oh but we c~<n db norhmg : how ·nothmg <.what, are you neither fpiritual nor rational creat~res? If a carnal M1mlt~r can make lt Ius work to ftudy about l.hrift thn•ugh all Ius !1fe- ume, and all be~aufe lllst~e trade he lives by, and knows not how tofubfiftwith– out lt .- why then me thinks a fp1ruual Chriftian lhould do much more; if a Cook can labour andfwear~boutyourmear, becaufe it is the trade that maintains him, though perha~• he rafre tt. nor lumfdf; Merhinks, you for whom it is prep:tred, ll10u\d rake the p~ms ro rafte us fweetnef~, a_nd fted upon it. Chriftians! if your fouls were found ~nd ng~t, .they woul~ perwv~ mcomparably more dt!ight and fweernefs in know– tng, rhmkmg '. behevmg, lov111g and rejoycing in Jefus Chrift, then the foundefr fromack finds m hiS food, or rhe firongdl fenks in the enjoymeN of their objet'!s. fhil. 4· 13. Now f?r llra~e never fay, you ca!'~or reach it, J can do all_tbu'.(s ( faith Paul) thro 11 gh Chrtfirh•t ftrengthmerh me. Ohu 1s our lloath, our fecumy, our carnal mind, whicii is enmuy ro God and Chrift, that keeps u1 off. Be exhorted! Ob be exhorted in the fear of God! Ephci. ss. lfu 1 6. Jcr 20. }. SECT. V. Motives from.our wants in cafe of negleEf. ,, TO ·qu1cken us to this duty, ·I ll•all propound fome moving confiderations; Ponder and weigh tbwr with an impartial judgemtnt , who knows bur througli the atli– fiance of Chri£1: they may prove effeCtual with your heam, and make you to refolve upon this e):cellenr dury of looking smto (efsu. Confider .5 I. Oun~ams,, !n cafe of our negleCt.. 1 2. Ourrrehes, mcafeweare hvely m this duty. I. l)r our wam• ; if Chri£1: be n?t 'in view, there is nothing bur wams. . Suppofe fir£1: a Chrifllefs foul ; a poor creature wirhout any b,eam or ray of this Sun of righreoufnifs, and what a fad condirion IS he in? I may fay of fuch a one that -.~- ~·· · r. He is without light: rheni" is no·oyl of faving knowledge , no fiar of fp1ritual light arifirlg in his foul; ye were once dark,nrfs, faith the Apo~le to his Ephefaru .' not one1y· ~ark,- but darknefs it felf; they were wholly dark, umverfally dark, bavw& no mixture , nor glimpfe ( wbilelt without Chril1) of fp•ritual light m.them. Of luch car~al wr~tches, faith our Saviour, rh<y have not k.pmw; the Father, mr me;. they have nor known the Father in his \Vord, nor me in my natures, offices, fufferwgs, exal– tariom, climmunicarions·: vtry miferable is the carnal mans ignorance of God and. Chrll1, he hath no faving"knowledge-of Jefus. . ' . 2. SudJ"aone iS\•ithour grace, without holinefs; Chrift uonr wifdom andfanEtifica– tion, as wdl as •·iglmoufnrfs and redemption. Wl1ere Chril1 is. not, there IS no fplfl– rual wifdom, no inchnation to the ways and works offan_Ct1ficanon. . . 3. Such a one is without comenracion ; the foul m thiS cafe finds norhmg but empu– nefs and vanity in the.grtate,!labundance. Let a man have wlm the world can grve, yet if lle h 1 ve not Chril1, he is norhing worth; Chrifi is the marrow and farnefs, the fulnefs and (w<etnefs of all our endowments; feperate Chrifi from them, and they are bmer, and do nor pleafe us, empty, and do nor fill us. . . . . 4. Such a one is without any fp~Itual beauty, rhere !' nor!>mg "' htm bHt fom.an: (ivdlings, and "'ormd 5 and rurrefamon ; from the foie ot Ius loot, _ro the CJ own of ht head-, thei·e fs nothing in him but loa:hfom and in~urable mabd1~s ;' hence the g~~;t; el1 finner is the foule£1: mohller; bodily beauty wuhour Chnfi IS. but as greeno'-'fi upon a rotten grave; did man fee his uncomlinefs and deformity wuhout JefusCbnft, l\e wouldftile bimfelf as the Prophet fnled 1'ajhHr, Mag.r-MijJ. bJb, fe•r roJWd abw, ev~t)' w<ty-a terrour ro himfelf. · 5 . St:th a one is withourcpeace _: there is no rrue, fpirimal, heavenly peace, no joy and
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