22B S~f?'u o.fChrijl's State liT. ever rhe believer's ci;lfe may be, the Lard is llill .to him Abha, Father. ·,- .' La-flly, They have ~n unfure hold of Chrifi, w~om h~ has· 'not appr~hend.ed by his. Spirlt. · There are many half marriages. her.e, where th~ (out apprehends Chrifr, but is not apprehended of Jlim. · Hence many fGll aw:Jy, and ne,. "Ver .rife again: the-Y let go their boJd ,of Cbrifi; and when that is gone, a.ll is gone. The!e are the branches in Chrifi, that hear not fruit, q)Jhich the_ hu.rb.andmpn t11keih. aw.ay, John xv. 2, Q2eH. How can that·be? A!if. Thefe bra,och· es are fet in the flock, by a profeffion, or an unfoupd hypo~ .critical fa~th ; they ~r.e bound up with it, in the external ufe of the facrarnents : but the fiock and they are never ·knit ; therefore they c:_annot bear (ruit. And they ne~d ,J;lot he cut off, nor br-o/r.en df; they are by the hulbandman only taken away. or, (as the wo.rd primarily lig nifies) lifted up, 'and fo ta.ken away, be:c.aufe there is nothing £0 hold them : the-y ate indeed bound L1p .with the fiock ; but they have' never. unitcd w\t b it. !f!Jtefl. Ho<vJJhall l .bow~(lam afprehended ifChrifl ? Anj~ You r:nay be fatid~e.d in this enquiry, if you confider and apply thtf'e two things. , . Firfl, When ChriU apprehends a man hy his Spirit, he is fo drawn, that he cpmes away to Chrill with his whel~heart; for true believing is b-elieving with all th~ he-art, ACls viii. 37. Our Lord's followers are like lhefe who fo llowed S4u l at firll:, men whoft heart-.r God ha1 toucher/, 1 Sam. x. 26. Wben the Spirit pourJ in overcoming grace, the¥ pottr out their heart.r like water before him, . Pial. lxii.' 8. ~hey flow . unto him like a r iver, J!a. ii. 2 ~ A L' nation; jha!l jio'T.t.' unto it, camely, to the mountain of t he Lord'.r houfe, Jt de\" notes not only the abundance cf con:verts; but thedifpofition ' of the.ir fouls,. in coming to Chri.{l ,: th~y come heartily and freely, as drawn ruJi.th lq"Jing kindnefi , Jer. xxxi. 3, Thy pe.ople jhall be -willing in the dtry of thy f?wer, Pfal. ex. 3• i.e. free, ready, open hearted, giving themfelves to thee asfree~wjlJ offering.r. Wben tbe.bridegro.om has the bride's heart, it is a right marriage : but, (ome give their hand to Q.hriil:, who give him not their heart, They that .are. only driven to C~ri_fi by terror, will fureJy leave him again, when , tha.t terror is gone. 1 Terrors may break a heart of !lone ; ' but
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