Book lV. 453 mortal fJUls ) by hi< fpiritthat dwelleth. in)'"· Cbrift's Spirit( if Cbrifl'> _refur– rn'hon be ours ) will have the fame o; eratto.n and effect 111 our fouls that 1t hal in his body ; as it raifed u~ the one , fo 1t wd ra~fe uo. the other_; as lt quicken– ed dw one, fo it will quicken the other.. But the qu~lhon. here Wl~] run on, how null we know whether we have rece1ved thiS quKkemng Spmt ? many pre– tend to the Spirit, never more than at tlus day, but how nny we be affured that the S(irit is ours ? I anfwer. -· . . . . . . Gen. 1 • 3 • 1. The ,S, irit is a Spirit of illummatton ; here Js the begt,nmg of Ius work, he be– gins·in light; as in the 6rfl: creatiOn,_ the firll::born of God s works, wasltght, God [aid let th.rt be light, and there was ltght; fo m this new creatton, the firll: work 2 Cor. 4· 6. is Jighr, God who co'Yima•ded tho ltght to J1une o11t of dar/,zte{s hath jhmed wto our hearts, to giw th' light of .the k,:1owledg of the glory of God"' the face of Jefus Chrijf. Hence rhe Jtate of nature " called dark.._"efs, and the !late of grace 1s called hght; ye wtre fo>netimes darkpe{s .but now ye ha1.JC light in .the Lord. And he hath called Eph. 5 .8. 1011 out of dark,mf mto h.s marv,.low hght. There IS a .hghr m t~e mmd, and .a 1 Pet. 2. 9• light in the heart, of thofe who have the Spmt of.Clmfl ; there ts ." fpecula~ tve and an eff.cttve knowledg, not only to know the truth, but to love tt, beheve tt, embrae< it. 0 my foul, wouldll: thcu know whether Chrifl's Spirit be thine ? confi.ler, and fee then whether any of this new light of J efus Cbrifi hath iliined into thy hCJrt. take bred . deceive not thy felf, thou mayflhave great deal of'wit, and knowledg,' and underfl:anding . and yet go .to hell ; this .light is ~ light lhining into thy he>rt, this light is a Chnfl dtfcovermg ltghr ; dm 11ght IS a fin-dtfcovering light ; this light will caufe thee to find out rhy hypocrify, dcadnefs, dulnefs tn fpiritual dunes ; tf· thou haft not thiS lt~lu, thou art near ~o eternal. burninos . darknefs is one of rhe properues of hell, ,and wnhom rlus ltght, mward da~k;efs will ro utter darknefs, where is nothing but weeping and wailing, and gnaj11ing of teeth: . . . . : . , . . . . ., 2 • This quickemng fpmt, IS a fptm offauh;as lt rev.ealsChnfl, fo 1t enchnes mem helrts to clofe wi:h Chrifl upon rhofe Gofpeh terms, as he IS offered. I know there are degrees and meafures Gffaith,bur the leafl meafure of faith is a defiring,paming,breathing after the Lord Jefus;and no fooner bath the foul received rbat new light from the Spirit ofChrifi,btit it is prefemly,at the fame inflant,exceedingly affected with Jefus Chri:!;O it defires Chrifl above all delires. I know not a more undeceiving tign than this ; read over the whole Bible,and where ever therewas any foul-faving difcoveries, there ever followed inward defires, foul-longing' after Jefus Chrifl; when Pat<l preached of the refurrection of Chrifi, fome there were that mocked, jeered, and fleighred that doctrin, but others (wlrofe heart rhe Lordfiirred) they were exceedingly taken with it, faying we will he& 1h:e again ofthu matter; yea, and this very Serroonfo wrought on fome; that, they believed, awong n·hom w.u Dionyfim the Arcopagire, & a woman named Ddmttru, and others with A(l.t7•32>34• th"n; and when he preached another Sermon on the fame fubject<It Antioch, the 1 evis were much offended, but the Gentile• were fo exceedingly taken with it,thar they befought Pmll, that th.fe words I (the very fame refurrectton Sermon) mtght be preached to them th' next Sabb.1th d~y. Their very heans did fo long after Chrill: whom l'a11lhad preach- Alt. '3· 42 , ed, that n·hen tl" congregatton w.u brok§n up, many of the Jews and religious profelites foll•~rrd Paul and Barnaba~ ; and thenext Sabb.<th d.ry came almojl the whole City together to hear thefame Sermon.Omy foul,dofi thou hear thefe Sermons ofChrifl:'s refurcet'tion?doft thou hear fweet Gofpel-preaching? doll thou hear rhe free tenders and offers of Chrifi • with all his glory and excellency to poor iinners, ro vile, loll, unJone fouls, and art rho~ 43· no whit talten with them? canfi thou Deep away fuch Sermons as rhefo? haft thou no heartritings, no flirrings, workings, longings, defires in thy foul? 0 rake heed ! this is a dangerous cafe: but on the contrary, if thou fayfl in thy heart, Oh that I cortld hear thi< Sermon agam! 0 the fweet and vertues of Chrijl's•·cfurre[lion! I had not thottght ftch honey_co~<ld have dropped OM of thi< rock._; 0 the blejfcd beginings and fpringings of grace wh:ch I felt tn myfoul on {iech a meditation ! Oh the dcfirc, the delight ! 0 the longings ! 0 .rhe co'11forts ~f Chrift's refwrreClion! 0 the drawings Of the Spirit) enclining my hrart tore ... cerve ?ef~rCh;tjl, to clofe with him, and torejf ort h1m, and togive up my [elf to him! why thiS Sptrtt of tarrh doth argue thy title and inrerefl to the quickening Spirit of Chrill:. 3: Tf'Y quJckening Spirit, is·a Spirit of fanctification; fuch was the Spirit, whereby Chnfl was ratfed, he \Vas dec/a,-ed mightily to'be the Son of God, according to the Spirit , •f fancir{icattdn, by the re[lfYreftion from the dead. That fame Spirit which raifed up Rom. 1 ' 4' A a a 2 . · Jefus
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