1Lootttng unto jjefu.s. Chap '2 .SeCi-.9. then Cprift is formed, and then Chrjft is born , and then growc3 in me to ~ bldfed fulnefs : my little childrel" of whom I trav«il in b~r~h again 11~til Chrift be formed i11 you; formation followes _co~(ejltiOn • ~nd travel implies a birth : rhen after this 1 Cor~-'· wearl}babes inChrift, or Chrtflts as a babe tn us; from thence we grow op ro fhength 1. John.'· '4· of youth, I have writ~m unto you )'O~<ng men brcaufe ye are fhong; and at !all: we Eph-4-1~. come to Gofpel perfechon, even towards the mraf~<re of the jla111re of the fielmfs of Ohrift. ,_Is thts all ?.. ~ay, tf my unwn be firm, and Ch~tf.l: live 111 me , why then I go on, . aud ,mt)us~ondmonJal"deadwithchrift, and I am b~tricd with Chrift, and I am aliv~agrtin U7!to God t~roughChrift~ and ! ·am r?fen with Chrift, and 1am glorified with Chrift. N_ay, yet more,_my fuffmngs areChn(\s, Col. I. 24. and Chnt\s fuffmngs are lll\ne,..J?pm. 8. 17. I am tn Clmfl an hm ofglory, Rom. 8. I7. and Chrill is in me the ho,pe o,f,glory, Col. ,j. 27. 0 my Chrifl, . my life, what am I, or what is my fathers Rorn.6.~. Rom 6.4.u. C:ol.3·•· l\orn •.8.t7. ho.ufe tl1at thou lhopldell: c9me down into me, thatthou D10ulde!l: be conceived in the wombpf my poor Gnful heart, that thou 010uldeft give my foul a new and fpiritual life a !if~ b~gun in g~ace ~nd ending in eternal glory ? I Jball not reckon up any mor~ pqvtledges pf rh1s umo~, me-thmks I I)Jould not need ; if I tell you of grace and glory, what can I tpore? glory is the hig_hefl pitch, and Chrifl tells you concerning it,' John;tp. ; th•glory which tho~<gaveftme, I havegiven them, that they may be one, even M we ""' one. . Ah my brethren ! to be fo like Chrifl as to be one with Chrifl; it is near indeed .- 0 I t us conform to Chrifl in chi~; he is one with our nature in an l1ypoflatical , perfonalunion; let us be one with him in a fpiritual , holy, and a myftical union; if God be nor in our perfons as rruely,though not as fully as in our narure,we have no parti– cular comfort from this <kfign of his perfonal, hypoflatical, and wonderful union. ·6. Chrift was born, fo mull:. we be tl.e,w-born; to this I have fpoken when I laid it down as an evidence that unto m a child i< born, lfnd umo"' a[on :5 given ; only one word more, wemufl be new born; as once born by nature, fo new.born by grace; there mull: be fome refemblances in us of Chri!l: born amongfl us. As, 1. Chrifl born, bad a Father in heaven, and a Mother on earth; fo in our new binh we ·mufllook on God as our Father in heaven, and on the Church as our Mother on earth; it was ufually faid, out of th< Church no falvation; and ro this the Apoftle alludes, [erufal<rn whic~u above u free, which i-nhe mother of"' all; indeed out of the Church there is no means of falY"ation, no Word to reach , .no Sacraments to confirm, nothing at all to hold forth Chrift to afoul, aod wid10ut Chriil how Jbould there be the falvation of fouls? · fo thiu we mull: look on the Chun;h as our Mother ; and on God as our Fa– ther· not that we deny fome to be as fpirimal fathers unto other;. Paul tells the· • ., . Cori;thiam, that he was their father, though ye h11ve tw thoufand injfruf1ers in Chrift, 1 Cor.4.!5'; ~et htwe ye not many ft~thers, for in Chriflrefm 1 have btgotten yot< through the GofF.ei; but alas fuch fathers are but 111ini!l:erial fathers, and therefore Pa~<lfeems to correCt htm– felfi who u Paul ? and who u Apollo? bm m nifters by wh•m Y' believed, even M the I,.ord ~ave to every man? it is God only is our Father principally, originally, fupreamly; , God ol)!y puts grace and.verrue imo the womb of the foul ; it is not poOible that any creatureJbould be a Creator oftke new creature. 0 then let us look up to heaven and fay, OLort.lnewmak;!"'· newcreate me, .0 betheumyFatber.. . . . 2. When Chn~was born, all !emfalem was troubled ? .f? when this new bmh ts, we mull: look for Jt, that much commotion, and much d!VII!On of heart wdl be , the Devil could not be call: out of the poffdfed perfon , but he would exceedmgl y tm and torment, aQd vex the polfelled perfon; the truth is, we cannot expect that Chrift Jbould expei Sathan from thofe holds and dominions he bath over us? but. he will be fure ro put us to great fear and terrour in heart. Belides n~t only the_enl fpmt, but Gods _Spirit is for a while afpirit ofbondage, to make eve_ry th1~g as a mighty burrhen. unto us; there are many pretenders.to the&raceofGod t_o Chnfl, bur they cannot abtde to hear ofany pains or pangs in rh~> new btr.th; 0 this 1s !~gal, but 1pray thee tell I?e, do~ thou ever know any woman bnng forrh mher Jleep or ma dream , WJthout feelm_g an} ·pain? and how then D 1 ould the heart ofman be thus new changed and moulded without feveral pangs? Iooli as it is in the natur~l~irth, there are many pan~s and u-?ubles, :i~ forrowjhaltthoubringforthchildren, fo JttS, and muft be tn our fpmtual bntn, ther. ufually ·(I will not fay alwayes, to fuch or fuch ~·degree) many p~ngs and tro"bleJ,thete" many a thr,ob, and many an heart-ach ere Chnll: can be formed mus. . .· ri3. Wh~n. Chrift was born there was a dlfcovery of many of the glo11ous art h bum ofGod; thenmercy al(d trmh met together , and righteoJtfmfs llndpeace k.iffi~tkr;
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