.t:ONEIItMED CHRISTIAN. 487 he is but rejoicing in the accommodations of his flesh, or strengthen- ing his presumption and false hopes of heaven; Luke xviii. 11. xii. 19. Isaiah lviii. 2. VII. 1. A Christian indeed is one that is so apprehensive of his lost condition, unworthiness, and utter insufficiency for himself, and of the office perfection, and sufficiency of Christ, that he bath ab- solutely put his soul and all his hopes into the hands of Christ, and now liveth in him and upon him ; as having no life but what he bathfrom Christ, nor any other way of access to God, or accept- ance of his person, or his service, but by him. In him he behold - eth anddelightfully admireth the love and goodness ofthe Father: in him he hath accesswith boldness unto God: through him the most terrible, avenging Judge is become a'reconciled God, and he that we could not remember but with trembling, is become the most desirable object of our thoughts. He is delightfully employ-. ed in prying into the unsearchable mystery; and Christ doth even dwell in his heart by faith ; " and being rooted and grounded in love, he apprehendeth, with all saints, what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height, and knoweth the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge;" Ephes. iii. 17-19. He perceiveth that he is daily beholden to Christ that he is not in hell, that sin doth not make him like to devils, and that he is not utterly forsak- en of God : he feeleth that he is beholden toChrist for every hour's time, and every mercy to his soul or body, and for all his hope of mercy in this life, or in the life to come. He perceiveth that he is dead in himself, and that his "life is hid with Christ in God." And therefore he isas "buried and risen again with Christ ;" even " dead to sin, but alive to God through Jesus Christ ;" Rom. vi. 3, 4. 11. Col. iv. 4. He saith with Paul, (Gal. ii. 20.)," I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless, I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me ; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the' faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." Thus doth he live as truly and constantly by the second Adam,,who is a quickening Spirit, as he doth by the first Adam, who was a living soul; 1 Cor. xv. 45. This is a confirmed Christian's life. 2. But the weak Christian, though he be also united unto Christ, and live by faith, yet how languid are tine operations of that faith ! How dark and dull are his thoughts of Christ ! How little is his sense ofthe wonders of God's love revealed to the world, in the mystery of redemption ! How littleuse doth he make of Christ ! And how little life receives he from him ! And how little comfort findeth he in believing, in comparison of that which the confirmed find ! He is to. Christ asa sick person tohis food ; he onlypicketh here and there a little of the crumbs of the bread of life, to keep
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