Goodwin - BX9315 G6 v1

The next ~efiion is, What it is to have Chris1 thm dweU in ihe He.u·t by Faith. Suppoiing Faith token in this large Sence, I !hall anfwer two ways. I. By th~ reality ofthe thing. 2. By the Metaphor of Dwelling. Firfi, By the reality of the thing ; Take it as the Apofile prays for it, and he prays for the highefi : It is to have a Spiritual Sight and ~nowl~dgof Chrifi,which makes him prefent to the Soul, whole C~rtfi, and efpec~ally h1s Perfon, and with him all that we know ofh1m,or hear ofh1m, as occ:dion 1sto make ufe ofit; which Sight and Knowledg doth.withallet Chrifi down into. t[Je Heart, and affe<l:s all there, takes poffeffion of the Heart, and doth th1s m a Confiancy ; this, as <p;"l prays for it,is the In-dwelling ofChrifi by Faith: I !hall fpeak to every one ofthefe. Firft·, Itistohave JefusChrificontinuallyin ones Eye, an habitual fight of him. I call it fo,becaufe a Man all:ually thinks not always ofChrifi; but as a Mari doth not look up to the Sun continually, yet he fees the Light of it :So here Faith, in Joh. 6. 40. is called the feeing ofChrifi, ~very one that feet!; the Son, and belie– veth on him. And our Lord and Samour Chn(t, (peakmg ofh1mfelf, fays, Pfal.16. I haveJet the Lord always before me: So therein ye !hould carry along, and bear along in our Eye the Sight and Knowledg ofChrifi, fo as !till there is at leafi a prefence of him accompanies you which Faith makes. Secondly, It is a Spiritual fight of him, it is to know him as the truth is in Jefus, really, that makes Faith to differ from all the Faith that is in the World. Thirdly, It is whole Chrifi to dwell, and the whole ofhim, to dwell in you by Faith, 'tis Ch,.;ft in the Text, not Chrifl: as jufl:ifying<ir dying only, but the whole of him; for there is that in Faith that is capable to take in the whole of him, and for him to affect tlle Heart accordingly. There is a Parallel Scripture to this,Gal.I. 16.When it pleafed God to reveal his Son to me: For Cbrift the Son to reveal himfelf to a Man, it is for the whole ofhimfelfto dwell in the Heart by Faith. It is not only revealing Chrifl: to me, but it is revealing Chrifl: in m;. Oh it bath been .a vain and w1cked Imagmauon, that every Man bath a Chnfi W!thm h1m, only 1t is not revealed, and the work ofSalvation is but revealing what is in the Heart already: whereas for Chrifl: to be revealed in us, is for Chrifi to be fo revealed, as to be in the midfi ofus,and for Jefus Chrift to dwell in the Heart continually,re– ceiving in abundance of him, and to.have the Ima~e and Repr_efentation of all he is, and that I know by h1m m my Heart, and 1t 1s whole Chnfi, not one p1ece of Chrift, Brethren, the whole ofChrifi, and not one piece of him only, all his words, and all his Speeches, is Chrift dwelling in you by Faith ; you receive all them, it is whole Chrifi. Fo11rthly, It is all ofChrifi, all about him. You read ofa great many things of Chrift, ofhis Dying, Rifing, how he walk'd, what he is to his People, in his Relations, in his Dealings; IfFaith bath Chrifl: prefent with the Soul, and knows but any one thing, more and more ofChrifl:, thereby is Chrifl: f.1id to dwell in the Soul, by letting him into the Soul, and into the Heart, and affecting the Heart with him. Saith the Apofl:le, Gal. 4·!9. 1 a1n in travailwithyo11 till Cl-rift be formed in JOlt. He [peaks it,of the point ofJuftification. Chrifi jullifies by reftoring their Faith to that again, and drawing their Hearts to feek it in Chrifl:: this is Chrifi formed in them, for that thing to take my Heart and poffds my Soul, is for Chrifi in and by that particular thing to dwell in me. John 15. Ifyolt abide in me,a11dmy Wol'ds abide in you,&c. abiding is dwelling, Let him dwell and have a Power up-.. on my Soul, this is for Chri!l: to abide, every Beam of Chrifi; is Chrifi dwelling himfeH being prefcnt by Faith to the Soul. 47

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