504 Bocl5 IV. J.!.rolung unto ']Jefu£'. Chap,2.sea+ --------------------~--------------~ Chrift! 0 that I were now on the wing towards heaven! oh what r! it that hinders my afcenfion but thi< clog of clay? fo long M thu b•dy romaiw a natural body JcAnnot afcend; oh therefor• that the•hange were come! eh that thu natural body were fpiritud! that this corruptible had put on incormptton, and thu mortal had put on immortality! then could I rr.ove_ upwm·d, M .well M dow;:ward,; fuch u the [11pcrnatural property of a glorified body, that tt afcends rrr dcfcendJ Wtth equal cafe; or if thu be not pof]ible for my prcfcnt conditi– on, if tbu body of mine muff ftrft defcend before it afcend, if it muft dcwn into the grave, before it go up intoglory: why yet, oh that my better part were on the wing! oh that my foul were mountmg upwardJ ! 0 wretched man that I am, who jha/1 deliver my foul frora tht5 body of death? or if the Hmon be fo flrong for awhile, th~t neither foul wor body can Ph•'· 1. 23 · re,tlly or fubjlantutlly afcend, yet 0 that I wcre flit! afcending in a fpiritual way! 0 that my ".ffeEtionJ were jfi/1 on things above, andnot on thing' beneath! yea, J oou/dwijh a nearer tmion cvenby adijfolution; why, Chrifl is afcended, and I WoiJ/d,fai"nbewhcre Chrifti<, Eph. 2 " 5, 6 · tho11Kh it coJf~me dear; I defire to be dijfolved, I dejire to depart, and to be wirhChrift which i< far better. ' 2. Let us fee Chrill: fitting down at the right hand of God, and fo defire to fit with him_: when Chrill: fate.down, :it was n?t in his own' pure perfonal right limply, as it is Eph. '· ;, 6 • Ius mhenrance, but With relauon to h1s Samts and Members ; He harh q~<ick[ned m to– gaher with C"hr-ifi, and harh rai(ed"; up ~ogerher, a~d m4dc "'fir together in heavenly pia. m m Chrift f efm. I confefs Chnll: shttmg at God s rtght hand (as raken fonhe fubli– mity ofhis power) is n~t comnmoicable umo us, for that is Chrill:'s own prerogative; to _ . Hcb. '· IJ· wh1ch of the Angels fa1d he at any time, Sit on my right hand? Yet his fitting in heaven as it is indelinitdy exprelfed, is in fome fort communicable unto us, for he fate down as RcY. ; • . ,. a common perfon, thtnby JlJewingthatwe ~ere to fit down with him in our proporti– on., Him that overcomes, 1 will grant to fit lvith rNe in my Throne, even tl4 I alfo over– came, and am ftt dot¥n with my Father in hi; Thro;u. Cluift /its in his Fathers Throne, and we fit in Cln·ilt s Throne; Chriil; fits at the right hand of God , and we fit at the right hand of Chrill:: 0 how defirable is this ? The Mother of ZebcdmChildren unMat.>c. "' derll:ood this myftery very darkly, _y.er worthipping Jefus, jhedefired a certain thing of 22 ' ' 3· him; what thing? why, grant ( fa1th /he) tha theft my two fonsm~y fir the one at thy right h.md, and the other on rhy left hand inrhy Kingdom: Chrill: blamed them, becaufe they /QJtiV r~otwhat they ,uked, and yet be tello them that to fit onhurighthand, and on hu left u given to them (or whom it u prepartd•f hi• Father. 0 my foul defire after this, for this is worthy of thy defire : this is a great thing, an high exaltation, another manner of honour than any that this world affords; Couniers defir( no more but to fit at the Princes right hand; but 0 the vermeof Chrill:!s Sellion, that thereby then thouldlt fit at the right hand of God! this is tbe very height and excellency of Heavens glory; only t~ke heed of apprehending it after a carnal and natural way ; tl1is very exaltation confifts in the" Image of God, and communion with God; it is the fpiritoa/ part, and power, and glory of Heaven : if any thing be defirable above another, furely this Eph. 1• w, u. above all; what? that Chri!t thould be exalted above all princip~litin, andpowers, and miuhiJ, and domi:zionJ, and everything th.n u named in this world, and in the other.< what? Eph 4- •o. th:t Chrit llJOuld fit down in hi• Fat'>ers Throne, in the !Jighell part of Heaven, far above allhcavem? and that I a poOi- worm, dult and alhes llwuld lit with him in Heaven, llwuld be one with him in glory, '•llwuld b.e:-.s near him in honour and happin~!s, as fudll poor creature is pollibly-capable of~ oh how lhould I but hunger, ~n~ thlr!l:af– terthis? if I miobt have a wi1h , I would not with low thrngs: why, thtsts the very top, and height~ and quintelferice of Heaven, Chrift in ht5 FarherJ Throne~ and I in Chrift', Throne; in defiring this I deiire ails and therefore \l<hatever thou g1vel1: or denyefl, Lord give me thi;, and r have enough forev(r. . . 3. Let us fee Chrill:'s Million of his holy Spirit, and fo defire a ll1are 10 tlm g1ft, we cannot expeCt ro lit with Chrifl, but we mull: lirll: have the Spirit of Chritl; and there– fore as we would ba'" that· let us defire after thi-. The greateft gift we can ex– peer in thi; world is the Spi;-t of Cbrill:. Confider 0 my foul ... all thi_n~s here be– low are ei ther temporal or f.piriJUal things; and of thrngs fp1r1tual ~hiS IS t!Je fum, the in-dwelling of the Spirtt. 0 Lord give me thy !elf, and that comamsall g1fts; 0 l'f•l. _. s. giVe me the Spirit, and rhou canll: nor but with !urn g1ve me all :lungs; There be many that f~:Y (faith the l'falmilt) Who wt!l foew m any 1:ood? . eanldy thwgs are de~red of many ; Luc is any ching on earrb to be compared w1th thts gtft froti_J heav~n? Jf r: were only ''" beamy of holimfs , it were certainly a moll: dehrabJc throg; rf we rrghtly underll:and
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