576 Roma are we compleat in Chrifl ? Senn: Pfal. 63. 3. The ancient Philofophers diflinguin ed betwixt bona rsici Pt, o or and bong Y,n-1 z lf,,,,ov, tome things good in their own nature,. thus onely God, A'J4tth. 19.17, There is none good bat one that is God : others good by way of opinion or efllmacion and thus all the comforts of tl-:is life whence that maxime of the Stoicks, Rids ï ,Y' ,Ps, life is but opinion and phancie, and whatever good is in thefe things, is but like thofe pi&ures of moil deformed and mon- flrous creatures, which the Poet tells us had no other beauty than what they owed to the Painters courtefie, viz the off fprir,g of our own phancies: Thofe who were vertucus were onely by the Phi - lofophers accounted to live , others might degere but not vivere, they might be, but they could not live. The onely true comfort of lifeconfifls in living in communion with God, 'cis his prefence fills Heaven with all its glory and 'is his pretence that 6113 every dirin with all its fweetnefs : But ajas how can two walk, g ther Amos 3.3. except they be agreed? and what agreement can there be betwixt light and darknefs, the glorious ma jelly of Heaven and _ flnfull dull, I Tim. 7.5, but onely through a Mediator ? and the onely Mediator is Wpm Chrill. What evas it that enabled the bleffed Martyrs, to account the lcorching flames to be beds of Rotes ? What was-it that enabled\ Rom.8.38439. St-Pau/ to triumph over all kind of adverfaries? but only the love of God in Chri. 7eftu : herein alone confus our comfort, our hap - pinefs. Now Chrift is All in this refped alto. 5. Chrifi ' Ail in furnifhing us with firength and affiflance to perfevere : the way to Heaven is no fmooth or eafie way but befet with many difficulties, sBtuYva ñ cribs Matth.7. 14. and throng/, many tribulations muff we enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, Ae$.14. 22. yea though the calmnefs of our paífage through this world ihould be in a perfect ferenity from all outward enemies yet can we nor, expec4 a totall freedom from the worft of enemies, our own hearts, our corruptions. All the prejudices and mifchiefs we either do or can fuffer from others, are nothing to what we fuffer from our felves 'cis not homo homini lupus, but ham. fiki lupus men are to none fuch wolves as to their own fouls. Now in as much as the Rev. 2.'1o. Crown of happinefs is referved for the head of perfeverance, and in as much as perfeverance in conflicting with fuch kind of advcrfa- ries, as though we conquer them, yet they are in us, and though we [tom 8 s4. vanquifh them yet Rill we carry them about us , mull needs require a, greater ftrength than our own : it cannot but be efleemed an emi neat priviledge , to be under the continual! fupplies of Chrift by his Spirit,
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=