52 The Fathersgreat Love, Joh.4. to. LA. 19. 42. Reaf. 2. Efa.53. 2. z Cor. 1. 23: z Cor.3. to, Pfal. 118. 22. 23. I Pet. 2.7 Reaf. 3. life. So I fay, the groundwhy our fpirit comes not toJe- fus Chrifi, is, that blindnefs and ignorance that is in the heart of man, becaufe heknows not the excellency andpretioufitef ofChrift ; As our Saviour Paid to the womanof Samaria, yaw 4. IO. If thou knewef the gift of God, and who it is that faith unto tbee,Cive me to drink,thouwouldefihave askedofhim and be would have, given thee living water ; and fo it was with Jerufalem, thee didnot kn.)w the things belonging to her peace; becaufe they were hidfrom her eyes. Again , men cannot come to jefits Chrift , becaufe as he is the power of God , and appears in the wifdom ofGod , fo heappears as folzfhnefs unto them, and they difdaine him as a weakandmean thing ; as Ifaiwh faith in ch. 53. v. 2. there is noform nor beauty in him why he (hould be defred : as a root out of a dry ground, he bath no form, no comlinefs, andwhen wepallfèe him, there is no beauty that we ¡Y.ould defire him; he is defpifed and rejec7ed of men, a man of forrows and acquaintedwith griefs, and we hidour faces from him : he was defpifed, and we efteemed him not ; therefore the Apoftle tells us 1 Cor. 2. 14. the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God, becaufe they are foolifhnef unto him, and are fpiritually difcerned : and faith he in 1 Cor. 1 23. we preach Chrift crucified, to the Jewes a Bumbling block, to the Greeks fooli/hnefe ; fo that man doth not, will not; nor can- not come to Jefus Ch rift, becaufe the fpirit ofChrift appears a Poore defpicable thing, and theheart ofman is let againfl him : and even thatfone that is to be the headflone of the cor- ner, it is reje6led and laid by, even by thole that account themfelves Mailer builders; and this it the Lords doing, and it it marvailous in our eves. Again, another ground why the fouls of men come not to Chrift, is, becaufe the appearing ofChrift in the fpirit makes all thehidden things ofmans heart lie open,even that which marl himfelfe never faw,nornever thought was inhim, and this man hates, and will not abide to fee nor behold that depth of pride, that felfe-glorying, hypocrifie, &c. and that bottomleffe pit of mifery; mans eye never looked info himfelf, intohis ownheart : but in the day of the appea ranee
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