Plantedby the HeavenlyFather. 199 may be heap together manyfine,high,and curious notions,and hence they fuckjap and life for a time : but alaffe this fruit, it all withers and comes to nothing : For there was never any refl, peace, or fatisfaUion in any thing below Jefus Chriíl. And therefore there is no way for thefe men but to lofe all, andfell all, and to become Poore ; And for thefe wife men to becomefooles, and to become as Innocents and children , and little in their owufight, and to lofe their very lives for Chrift, Which all their life time they have been a providing for; fcra- ping, and patching, and piecing up together fométhing to live upon another day ; Oh ? how hardly do fuch men lofe all, fell all ? for in their own efteem they arevery rich, and mull needs go away heavy andforrowful : Beloved, this felling all, and efteeming and making Jefus Chrift the onely riches, the onely Pearle, is fi.ich a thing as man cannot abide toheare it named, to lofe all the opinion of their own goodneffe, to think bafelyofthemfelves, & tobe content to let otherswho had them in high efleem think foof them; And to come to . rejoyce in thii,tobe nothing for Chrifi; And in him fo lofe his Religion, his wifdome, his righteoufneße, and to become as weak ac another man , and tobeglad that Chrift filth done this for him : this is to make Chrift All in All. And this is to rejoyce in his infirmities and in diflreffes for Chrills fake, though Chrift never called 'thee to outward affiiaions; for when thouart weakeft then art thouflrongefl ; And hisftrength is made perfea in weaknrffe. But whertmen think , that holineffecot-dills in their own working, and doing and obferving rules, and comming un- der outward fellowfhips, and in dipping in a little cold water, or breaking and eating a littlebit of bread, and herein think they have doneforce great matter; alaffe, what poor, empty, dry Chriflians for the molt part are thefe? keeping fuch a fir about exaaneffe to the-fhaddowand p ztterne , andnever-- once know the truth , never yet tailed how fweet Chrift is, nor eaten of the HIDDENManna,or the bread ofGod,or of the living water: Bate or drank ofChrifis Body and ` Blood, being meat indeed, and 4vin&indecd,which was given for the life of the world: And yet thefe men think they have done fo well cor.3.18 Mat. 19, 14. Mat.13.46 Tod.' 6.7. 2 Cor. 12.' 9, lo. ohñ-6:5t
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