Chap. 5 . sea. 4 . JL.ootung tmto_1ef_u_5_. _ __B_o_o_k_IV_ . _:3_'7_ ri htcoufne(s of Chrift, theholinc(sof Chrijl, theholinefs of hid Nature, and the holinefs ~Jhi; Lifemujf bcimpuredumome, •r farewt!h.<ppwefs ,n another \~orld; why come_, come Lord Jeftu, co 71 c quickly; Oh I long to (ee rh' beau!j of thy face . rhy glory t5 fatd robe an cnamorwingglory; fuchu thy beat&ty, th.Jt a jle.ds "'"·'! mYhrart afre> t."ee, and cannot be[Atisfied rillJVith Abfolon, I fee the Kin::,s.fac~ ; come Chnft! or if thotnvtlt ifDt • come; I charge J'OU, 0 Daughtersof JerufJlem, if ye fmd my be!owd, rh.1t J< tell htm1 an eant. s. •• fick_ of Love• SE C T. IV. Of hoping in J rfiu inthat rcfpc{f. 4,LEt us hope in ] cfiucarrying on the ;;rear work of our Sllvation in his Life. By this Hope I mean not allu\(uaung, wavenng, doub:ful hope: but an a!fured hope; an hope well grounded. _The m~m foul-q.uefhon 1s, whether Chnll s hfe be mtne? ~hether all thofe pa!fages of h1s hfe la1d open, belong umo me? wherher the hlbHual nghteoufnefs, and a:tual holinefs of Chrifr beimputed to my jollification? and what are the grounds and foundations on which my hope is built? The Apoflle tells ?s, that _God givesgoodhopos through Grace; 1f hope be nght and good, lt w11l mamfefr lt fe1f by t Thcf. 1. 16. operations offaving Grace: 0 look into thy foul! wh~t gracious effects of the hfe of Chrill are there ~ certain[y his life is not witbout fome influence on our fpirits, if we be his Members, and be be our Head. The Head we fay, communicates life and fenfe, and motion to his members; and fo dotb Cbrill communicate afpirituallife,and fenfe,and motion to his members; 0 the gloriouseffeds.llowing out of Cluill:'s life into a Believers foul! Ifhalllay down thefe. As,-- ' r. If Chrifr's life be mine, then am I freed from the Law of fin: This was the Apo- !Hes evidence ; For the Law of theSpirit of life in Chrift Jef>U, bath made me free from the 1\olll. 8 2. Lawof fin and dw h. Chri!\'s Life is called the Spirit of Life, becaufe of its perfmion; and this Spirit of Life hath fuch a power in it, here termed aLaw, thar it works out in Believersa freedom f rom theiaw or -power in fin_. I cannot think, notwithllanding the influence of Chri!l's life on me, but that fin Uill lticketh in me, I am llill a finner in refped: of the inherency of fin, but I am freed from the power of fin (i.) from the guilt of!in, as to itscondemningpower; and from the fihh offin as to its ruling reigning power: Let not Ram:6. u. fin reign in yourmortalbodies, that ye jhuuld obey it irt the /i;ftuhe>·eof.-- I grant there is fame difference among Divinesin their expreflloni, concerning the fins of Gods own pevple, though they me:m one and the felf-fame thing. Some call them ~· only fins of infirmity; and others grant the name of reigning fins; but with this limita– tion, th~t this is not a total reigning. Sin reigneth as aTyrant over them, not as a King; a{ fometlmes (as in Davidr cafe) the will and confent may run along with fin, no actual refiUance may be m~de againfr llnat all; and yet at the very fame time the feed of God remalneth inthem, though it feem dead; and in Gods good time, that very feed will revive 1 John J· 9• ag•in, aAd throw our the Tyrant; there is not, cannot be that antecedent and confequent confem to fin in the godly, as in rhe wicked:. 0 my fou lconfider this! if the virtue of ChrH\'slife come in, it will take down that foveraign high reign of fin which the wicked fuffer, and will not llrive againfr; the llefh indeed may fometimes lull againll the Spirit, but lt fhall not totally prcva1l or gtt the upper hand ; Sin fba/1 not havedominion over Ram. (, i4. you, Sm may tyrannize in me for a time, but it fhall not King it in me, Look to this! Doth the power and domioion of Chrifl's life thro1~ out of thy heart and life that Kingly power and dominion of my fin I here is one ground of hope. 2. If <;br~O:'s Life be mine, · ~hen n.aJJ I walk even as he walked ; fuch i·s the efficacy of Chnl1: s hfe, that it will work furablenefs and make our life in fame fort like his life_. The Apol\le obferves that our communio; with Chri£1: works on our very conver– fanons ;he tha_t abiderh in hirn, waliJ even M he walk$d : and to this purpofe are all thofe holy admonmons; tvalk._ in low, M Chrijl ~lfo loved tu;- and, I havegiven yo11 an ex1 J~hn ' · f • ample, that)'"" J110ulddo M I have done umo you. -a~d, d& he, which. bath called you u ~~h~ ~;::1 ,. holy, fobe ye holy m all manner of converfatimr._ Then IS <::;hnfl shfet~ll~e,when my acti- 1 Pctd, •S· ons refer to lum as my Copy, wben I tranfcnbe the Ongm~I of ClmUs l1fe (as it were) to the life. Alas, what am I better to obfen-e m rhe ltfe of Chnlllus Charity to his Er.em1es, h1s Reprchenfions of the Scribes and Pharifees h1s fubot'dination to his heavenly F.ather, his ingenuity towards all men, his effu(ions'of love towards all the Saints, Gg z . ii
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=