po Book IV. JLoolting unto 'j)cfu-S. · Chap.2.sea. 7 . ----------------~~--------~~--~- 2. How /hould it heighten my joyes,. and enlarge my comforts, when I do but confider th~t Chrill is fe~ down at God's nght hand. Why'. now he hath the keyes of Mat.tB tU. Heaven delivered IntO hts hands; All power u g•ven unto h,m m heAven and in earth a~d now he ran do what he will; God the Father bath given away ( as it were) ali John S· ». hts Prerogatives unto Jefus. C!mll; AI! ;udgmentu commttud to the Son., for the Father. judgeth no man. Now he ts tn a capactty of acrmg out all his love, and . the Father's deltre to me in the moll glorious way; he is highly advanced, and thereby he bath the advantage [O advance me, and to glorifie me; God bath given into his hands all the treafures and rtches of Heaven; in bidding him, fit do1vn at hi; right hand, he tpld him that he would have no more tO do with the world, but rhat Cluiflllwuld have all, arid that ChriftlllOuld bellow all he had amongfl his Sa;nrs; and that this ll10uld be the reward of Ius death ; and when once his Saints were come about him, and fate with I Cor. I P4· him in hi~ glory, why then Chrifl ll10uld relign up again his place, A 11d deliver up the ](i11gdo>n to God, even the Father. Oh what joy may emer into this poor dark dunge– on, drfconfolate foul of mine, whiles I but think over thefe glorio11s palfages of my Chrifl in glory ? 3. How lbould it heighten my joyes, and fill me with joy unfpeakable, and full of glory, when I .do confider that Chrifl bath fem down his holy Spirit into my heart? Jol.n I6, 7· when forrow had fiUed the Apo!lles beans, becaufe he had told them, I rnufr godway; he comforts them Wtth tbts, If Igo11ot alVay, the Con:forta 1Vill11ot come untoyou, but if I depart, I lVill fend him unto Y•'"· The Spirit is the Comforter, and where he comes, he fill.sfouls with comfortS; 0 what comfort is this, to know that the Spirit of Chrill: is my Jnmate? that my foul is the Temple, the Receptacle, the Houfe and dwelling of the Spirit of God ? that Chrill: is in me of a truth, and that not only by the infufi– on of his grace, but by the in-dwelling of his Spirit? furely it is fome comfort to a fickly man that he bath a Phylitian alwayes in the houle with him; and to a woman that i>near her travail, that the Midwife is in the houfe with her; but what comfort Jolm 1 4· • 6 • is it to a poor foul that the Spirit of Chri11 is alwayes in him? I will fend you another Cor<Jorter ( faid Chrill) thllt he may abide with )'•u for ever. Chrill in his bodily pre– Mot. ,s. ,o. fence went away, but Chritr in his Spirit continues flill; LD I am with you AlwAJes, even unto theend of the world; he is with us, and which is more, he is in us for our corn. Col. r· '1· fort. Chrift in you the hope ofglory. Not Chrill in Sermons which we hear, nor Chrift in Chapters which we read, nor Chrill in Sacraments which we receive; nor Chrill: in our heads by high notions, nor Cbrill: in our mouths by frequent glorious exprefiions; but Chrifl in our hearts by his Spirit, is unto us the hope of gloryThe grounds of our comforts in this refpeet, is,--- '. Chrift'< Prefence; it is faid of Paul, that after a fad lltipwrack, the fightoffome A<l ,s, , s.l Chrifiian brethren fo cheared him, that upon the fight of them he thanktd God, and tool(_ csuragc ; it is faid of C.•far, that hecheared the drooping Mariners in a ll:orm, bymind– ing them of his prefence, You cm·ry C<tfar; how much more lhould the in-being of Chrill folace Saints? Lo I am with yo11. 0 my foul, was it not a cordial to the Difciples in a florm, that Chril1 was with them, whom the winds and.waves obeyed? chear up now, for if the Spirit be in thee, Chrill is with thee. 2. Ch:ill's Complacency; if his Spirit dwell in us, how llwuld he but be well-plea– fed with us? a man cannot properly be {aid to dwell in a prifon, in which he taketh no pf.!. 1 i '· 14 • delight; the Spirits in.dwelling imports a deligh.t of Chrifl in fuch a foul, Here w_ill I dwell, for I have dejired it, or delighted in it, farth God of Zzon, though many ttmes drooping Chrill:ians, viewing their own beggarlinefsand vilenefs, judge themfelves wor– thy to be detelled'and delmed, and would relinquillt themfelves if they pofiibly could, yet Chrifl looketh eo the poor and contrite foul as a meet habitation for himfelf to dwell !fa ;7. in, I dtvell in the high and holy place, with him alfo that i; of a contrite, and humble Spirit. . . . 3. Chrifl's Communications · union is the ground of our commumon wtth Chrtfl; and the nearer our union, the ~reater is our communion; if Chrifl were only in a be– liever by the habit of grace, th~ union would not be fo wear,. but if Chrill: be in us by h1s Sprnt, the union is nearer, and therefore tbecommumon w1ll be greater. 0 my foul remember tl~is in all thy llraits; there can be no crea.t~re-wam, or danger whatfoevcr wherein the tmprovemem of this in-dwellmg of the Sprnt may not refrellt thee, art thou fick? rite Phyfirian both of foul and body is within thee; aruhou fad? the Co.mfomr ltimfel£ that fupplies the /lead and room of Chrilt, inhabits in thee; m thou m ex!l;, Ul
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