Of INDWELLING SIN. 487 2.) There is that which adds weight to this confideration. God fuffer us not to be unmindful of thisaffiflance he hath afforded us, but is conti- nually calling upon us to make ufe of the means appointed for the attaining of the end propofed. He thews them unto us, as the angel (hewed thewa- ter-fpring to Hagar. Commands, exhortations, prosifes, threatnings, are multiply'd to tins purpofe ; fee them futnm'd up, Heb. ii. r. He is continu- ally faying to us, Why will you die? Why will you wither and decay? Come to the paftures provided for you, and your fouls fhall live. If wefee a lamb run from the fold into the wildernefs, we wonder not if it be torn and rent of wild beafts , if we fee a fheep leaving its green paftures and water-courfes, to abide in dry, barren heaths, we count it no marvel, nor enquire farther, ifwe fee him lean, and ready to peril a. But if we find lambs wounded in the fold, we wonder at the holdnefs and rage ofthe hearts of prey, that duri fat upon them there. If we fee fheep pining in full paftures, we judge them to be difeafed and unfound. It is indeed no marvel that poor creatures, who forfake their own mercies,and run away from the pollute and fold of chrift in his ordinances, are rent and torn with divers tufts, and do pine away with hunger and famine. But to fee men living under, and enjoying all the means of fpirtitual thriving, yet to decay,not to be fat and fiourífhing, but rather daily to pine and wither, this argues fome ferret powerful diftemper, whofepoifonous and noxious qualities hin- der the vertue and efficacy of the means they enjoy. This is indwelling 6n. So wonderfully powerful, fo effeltually poifonous it is, that it can bring leannefs on the fouls of men in the 'Mehl of all precious means of growth and 9ourifhing. It may well snake us tremble to fee men living un- der, and in the ofof the means of the gospel, preaching, praying, admi- nißration of facraments, and yet grow colder every day than other in zeal for God, more fulfill' and worldly, even habitually to decline as to thede= grees of holinefs, which they had attained unto. 3.) Together with the dífpenfation of the outward means of fpititual growth or improvement, thereare alfo fupplies ofgrace continually afford- ed the faints from their head Chrift Jefus. He is the head of all the faints. And he is a living head, and fo a living head, as that he tells us, that be- ern ife he lrteth, arefhall live alfo, Joh. xiv. 09, He communicates of fpiri- taal life to all that are his. In him is the fountain of out life, which is therefore faid to be hid with hire' in God, Col. iii, 3. And this life hegives unto his faints, by quickringof eisem by his fpirit, kovt. ix. xi. And he comiaues it unto them by the fupplies of living grace, which he commu- nicates unto them. From their two, his quickning of us, amid continually giving out fupplïes of life unto us, he is faid to live in ús, Gal. i'i. no. Ilive, yet not I, butChri/i liveth in me. The fpirirual fife which I have is not mine own, not front my fell was it educed, not by myfelf is it maintain- ed, but it is merely and foleíythe work of Chrift, fo that it is not 1 that live, but he lives' in me, the wholeof my' life being from him alone. Ne - thee d'oth this living head communicate only a bare life unto believers, that they fhould merely live, and no inure, a poor, weak, dying life, as it were, but he gives out fufficiently to afford them a thong; vigorous thri- ving, flourifhing life, job. x.ro. He' carnes not only that his flierp may have life, but that they may have itmote abundantly,, that is in a plentiful manner, fo as thatthey may fiourifh, be fat and f'ruitfufi. Thus is it with the whole body of Chrift and every member thereof. Ephef. iv. ig, 16. Whereby it grow.; up into him Inall'things, which is the head, event C'hrift, from whom the whole body fitly loin's] to Ether, and compaéhed; by thatwhich every joint fupplioth, according to the e//Jedual working in t'be' meafure' óf every
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