I~ I I I Sign4. lfai, ,_. ti - The 'Parable ~~ the him , but x. not more in this rhan in Chri!t himfelf. z. A child of God may while he knows not whet\Jer Chri!t .is his do fo: but you think the tord is yours; well, when youfeelatfechons andhfe, rhen you are glad, when that is loft then fad ; why is there no life when rhou artdead, no glory when thou art bafe, no wifdom, no communion ,virh God when thou h.tfl: none? Ye,, why doll rhou not re;oyce in rhis which i~ here moH fully, which SJims prefeming, pleafe rhe Lord more by, rhan by givin" the glory of Angels infinite millions of years: Oh rhy hem is not in love with Chri!t, but fomewhar elfe, for here is the joy of all Saims, In thy feed fha!l all Nations account themfelves blejfed: all Nations 1 one and another , l[lfi, 45. 24, 25. Jhall all the feed of Ifml be }~<fti{ztd, and {hall glo?· Confider the·efore this, rhou art fometime joyed; why ? 0 I find my heart thus and rhus, and is this all ? yes, for when rhis is gone, all joy dies ; and Jhould I nor do thus ? yes, elfe you never felt comfort of it : but not only re;oyce here, bur when the beJm isgone, the Lord is not gone , Rom. 7. ult. when the bottles are fpenr, the fpring is full. 4· He rhat rerforms any duty ultimately to cafe his confcience, he is married yet unro the Law, for there are LWO forts of dufie.> ro the Law. I, Some are directed ro give Chri!t conrenttoeafe his heart, by feeing Gods love in Chrifl, then love being Jhed, rhe heart Jheds it on ChriH: again: and thus faith tbeApo!tle, 1 through the Law amde.1d r• it, th~tt I might live to GgJ, Gal. 2, 19, ' z. Some are ro give the foul e,tfe, it fees fin, and fears it mu!t dye1and rhe Devil appears, and when it lies down,irfearsit iliallnever awaken again; and when it hears, thinh no mercy , bur only threats belong to it : and hence having no pe1ceof confcienceto rhinkGod will love it, it loves duties, dotb duties, and now takes thefe for good tokens and figns of love , and if ic feels a need of Chrif!, 'tis only ro cafe it. Now a man is married ro rhe Law, when he crouds for cafe into the bofome of it, Deut. 5. z 7 <they were in great fear , wh11tever God wiU haw us do, we will do it: is it nor rhus with many? How Jhall we know this? Anfw. Dolt find this while fears and terrors of ronfcience are on thee, fo long thoudo!t feek,and pr.1y, and he,tr ., and call en God, and when they are worn away by time, or blown over with feeling fome good rhings,and hopes from them, then thy heart is carelefs again ; 'tis certain you are yet married to rhe Law : <ts many a man exceeding forward while pre!tt~nder fenf7 of fin for a year or two. Lor<;l! how many hundreds drop away by lmle and lmle afterwards? Deut. 5· ~9. Oh that there were fuch a heart a/way. Mat.3·7· to I 3· they faw a wrath to come, loence feared , and hence came to Johns Baprifm eo repem and confe!fe him. ' 5. NEJ man that is mmied to the Law, bur His fig-leaves ever cover fome nakednefs ; all the duties ever brood fome lufi : there is fomc one fin or other the man lives in, which either the Lord difcovers , and he will not part with, as rhe young man, or elfe is fo fpirirual he cannot fee all his life-rime ; read through the HriCl:e!t of all,and fee rhis, Mat. 2 3. Painted Sepulchres : Paut that was blameletfe, yet Eph. z. 3. Tit. 3·3· ferved divers lu/l-s and pleafures, and the reafon is, the Law is nor rheminiltrarionoftheSpirir, 2 Cor. 3· 8,9. wnich breaks offfrom every lin, there is no l.tw thlt c;mgive life, Gal. 3· 21. And hence many men have Hrong refolutions, and break all again; hence men fin, and farrow, and pray again , md rhen go with more cafe in rheir lin ; examine thy felf, is rh~ re any living lult with thy righreoufnelfe, 'tis fure 'tis a righteoufne!fe thou an married ro, and never wen yer m~rch'd to Chri!t; hence note thy felf, it may be thou halt refied in duries,and lince more light <:ame, faw in; and feeing this , thinking that here is all thy errour, tbou haft laboured to fee the emptineffe of rhy own Righteourne!fe, and th~ fuhwif12 of Chrill:., and now thou art come to both, and now 1vel!. So then thouhaH no~ found our _any lull thou live!t in all that time; nor the venom of
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=