are ready to reele to one side or other When the clouds of heaven have well watered the Earth then doe weeds as well as good hearbes spring apace so when Christ by his Spirit sweetly waters the soul w th consolation then levity and vanity as well as Christian mirth and cheerfulnesse spring amaine If a Christian bee not very watchfull over his soule to pluck up such weedes by the rootes as soone as they begin to shew themselves I conclude this thus thou that art comforted by the Spirit let not the manifestations of thy comfort grieve the Spirit This remember that Satan hath an art to bring evill out of the greatest good as God hath an art to bring good out of the greatest evill and therefore beg that thou mayest not be ignorant of any of his devices nor unable to resist them if thou would'st not loose thy Comforter Secondly if thou would'st have thy Comforter to abide still with thee as thou must not grieve him so thou must doe all that thou canst to delight him Let it be thy meat and drink to follow all the motions of the Spirit of Christ whithersoever Christ would have thee go or whatsoever Christ would have thee do cheerefully obey him this will delight thy Comforter exceedingly and make him to rejoyce to continue with thee If Christ say unto thee as to the Fishermen Follow me Mat. 4 19. do thou readily reply as the Scribe Master I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest Mat. 8 19. This is to declare the genuine disposition of Christs people which Christ is exceedingly taken withall Christs people are a willing people in their obedience Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power c. Psal 110 3 2 Humbly and compassionately tell disconsolate soules what Christ hath done for thy soule this will delight thy Comforter much and make him rejoyce to continue with thee Christ delights to see his children communicative of the sweet meates which hee gives them And therefore as Iael said to Barak so do thou O comforted soule to such as yet go mourning all the day long Come said she and I will shew thee the man whom thou seekest Iudg. 4.22 Come O sad soule that canst not finde him whom thy soule loveth I will shew thee the man whom thou seekest the manner of his comming to my poore soule and how long hee made me waite upon him ere he would come to me and how well hee hath now made mee amends for all his staying And therfore Although thou sayest thou shalt not see him yet judgement is before him therefore trust thou in him Iob 35.14 For the vision is yet for an appointed time but at the end it shall speak and not lye though it tarry wait for it because it will surely come it will not tarry Hab. 2.3 The more imparting of experiments of love wee are to the glory of Christ the more still will Christ graciously give us to our further comfort And this indeed is Gods end in comforting some of his children that they may bee able to comfort them which are in any trouble by the comfort wherewith they themselves are comforted of God 2 Cor. 1.4 as the Apostle sweetly affirmes 3 Thank Christ humbly and heartily for his comming to thee if thou wouldâ—st have him abide still with thee The Israelites when they came into the promised Land which flowed with milk and honey they were to take the first of all the fruits of the Earth and put them in a basket and so present them to the Priest saying viz. And now behold I have brought the first fruits of the Land which thou the Lord hast given me thus were they to set their first fruits before the Lord and to worship before him as you may see at large Deut. 26. Why you that enjoy Christ as a Comforter you have received the first fruits of that good land which Canaan typified which flowes with Milke and Honey Bring therefore these first fruits and set them before God and worship bring the sweet comforts of the Holy Ghost in your hearts before the Lord and say Behold ô Christ these and these are the sweet consolations of thy spirit and loe for them all I humbly render praise to thy name Such mighty enemies of my peace hast thou conquered such doubts which so long troubled me hast thou answered such wants which so long time kept mee exceeding low hast thou supplyed to thee O God be the glory of thine own goodnesse You have great cause thus to magnifie the Lord for his mercy which finde Christ as a Comforter come to you You enjoy that blessing which exceedeth all outward blessings The light of Gods countenance lifted up upon a poore mourning soule 't is of farre greater value then Corne Wine Oyle then Corrall Rubies or any choice thing that this world can afford The naked revelation of Christ in the soule of man is of more worth then all these saith Solomon the most glorious revelation of Christ then to the soule which the soule of man is capable of in this life must needs be of much more transcendant worth You enjoy that blessing which exceedeth many inward blessings It exceedeth knowledge for what is knowledge in the head to the joy of the Holy Ghost in the heart One beame of light in the understanding is of more worth then all the Silver and Gold Gemmes and Jewels in the world and yet one beame of the light of Gods countenance shining upon the heart though but by reflexion from the face of Jesus Christ is of more worth then all knowledge which humane study can attaine unto I cannot say that this blessing exceedeth the least saving grace in the soule but this I can safely say that consolation 't is the glosse and glory of every grace every grace shines in its full lustre where the Comforter dwels This I can further say that you enjoy that blessing which makes Heaven a Heaven and which makes Earth a Heaven to you and therefore you have great reason to magnifie the Lord for his mercy The more of Heaven we enjoy upon Earth the more should we set our selves to doe the worke of them which are in Heaven whilest on Earth 4 Finally let Christs mediate comming to thee by his Spirit make thee long earnestly for his immediate comming to thee in his owne person this delights Christ that his Spouse should say Come as the Spirit doth Rev. 22.17 That shee should long for the wedding day as he doth When good old Simeon had imbraced the consolation of Israel for which hee so long waited hee then desired presently to be dissolved so thou that hast imbraced the consolation of Israel should'st in a holy manner with Simeon Iob and Paul desire to bee dissolved and to bee with Christ which is best of all You whom Christ hath kissed with the kisses of his lips should long earnestly to lye betweene
come to them should patiently wait till Christ thus come to them p. 98 Severall considerations very powerfull to make the soule to wait patiently till Christ as a Comforter come to him p. 98 99 c. Babes in Christ which never yet found Christ as a Comforter come to them should observe how Christ comes with comfort to the soule and not put him off p. 109 110 Babes in Christ which have found Christ as a Comforter to come to them but now have lost him should labour to bee sensible of their losse p. 112 113 c. Such should not blame Christ for departing as a Comforter from them p. 116 117 c. Meanes how such babes in Christ may get their Comforter to returne againe to them p. 118 119 c. 2 Tim. 4. Vers 22. The Lord Jesus Christ bee with thy spirit To have the Lord Iesus Christ with our spirits is a prime and principall blessing p. 126 There is a double presence of Christ with man corporall and spirituall joyntly or meerely spirituall p. 127 128 c. The spirituall presence of Christ with man upon earth is commune or speciall p. 129 130 c. To have Christ specially present with our spirits is the ready way to all temporall good p. 134 Objections to the contrary answered p. 135 136 c. To have Christ specially present with our spirits is the ready way to all spirituall good p. 143 144 c. To have Christ after a speciall manner with our spirits is the ready way to eternall good p. 147 Not to have Christ specially present with our spirits is a great evill p. 149 Wherein this grand evill doth principally consist p. 149 150 c. How to know whether Christ be specially present with our spirits p. 164 165 c. How to get Christ to be specially present with our spirits p. 171 172 c. Men that finde Christ specially present with their spirits should thankfully acknowledge this great favour p. 176 177 c. Such should labour to keepe Christ with their spirits p. 180 According to what operations a man may lose the presence of Christ p. 181 182 c. Christians should labour to get Christ as much present with their spirits as may bee and how this may be done see page 188 189 c. Comfort against the sword plague famine persecution and the like ariseth to them which have Christ specially present with their spirits p. 191 192 c. CHRIST'S COMMUNION with his Church Militant John 14. vers 18. I will not leave you comfortlesse I will come to you CHRIST and his Church are deare each to other the truth of this is at large manifest in this Chapter Christ as a heavenly Husband being to leave his earthly Spouse to wit his Church Militant and to live with his Father at his right hand in glory with his Church Triumphant endeavoureth in various Verses of this Chapter to comfort the sad Spirit of his beloved Spouse which he perceived was much dejected The Verse which I have chosen to insist on is one of them I will not leave you comfortlesse I will come to you In more words let me repeate this Verse againe Thou O my Love my Dove my faire one art sad I see and disconsolate at my departure As a Lily in the valley nay as a Lily indeed among thornes I shall leave thee the Prince of darknesse dwelling in the children of darknesse will endeavour to devoure thee Sons of Belial will beset thee persecute and torment thee as they have done me before thee but be not at this O fairest of women dejected as one without all consolation for I will not leave thee comfortlesse I will come to thee What difference is there betweene a Prison-house and mine own house if sweet friends continually come to me there T is a Prison and no better we abide in whilest we dwell in the body fetter'd we are with many lusts and groane we doe under the tyranny oppression of a body of death and O! wretched men that wee are dwelling in these dungeons of Clay if no friend from Heaven come to us 'T is true O my Spouse what thou sayest and therefore that thy dweling in the body may not be comfortlesse I will come to thee I will not leave thee comfortlesse I will come to thee The body is a Prison to the soule and the World is a Hell to both The God of this world is a Devill and the children of this world Devils to the Spouse of Christ The Father torments her spirit and the Children torment her flesh neither in body nor soule whilest in this world can the Spouse of Christ be quiet We that are thus in Hell upon Earth shall quickly be comfortlesse if no friend from Heaven come to us True O my Spouse but to prevent this I will come to thee From Heaven to Earth indeed is a long journey but yet this I 'le not stand on rather then thou shalt be left comfortlesse in any condition upon Earth I will from Heaven come to thee Let it bee what weather 't will at what time 't will and be at midnight thou need'st me I will come to thee I will not leave you comfortlesse I will come to you Affliction hath made many friends upon Earth forsake me O my Saviour wilt not thou my heavenly friend so serve mee What if the Devill cast me into Prison wilt thou come to mee there wilt thou visit me when I lye in a nasty roome amongst nasty wretches that curse and swear which thou canst not endure to heare Yea O fairest of Women rather then thou shalt be comfortlesse in such a condition I will come to thee Thou wilt come to me O my Saviour one day but what if the Devill keepe mee in such a Prison ten dayes a long time till the iron enter into my soule wilt thou not wax weary at last and leave comming to me No my love I am resolved to the contrary I will not leave thee comfortlesse I will come to thee Why but what if Satan winnow me as wheat and cast me into sinne which is more odious to thee then any prison then any place or any thing wilt thou not then shake me off for ever never come to me more This O fairest of Women may make me cease comming to thee for a moment but no longer for I am resolved not to leave thee comfortlesse in any condition either of sin or punishment I will not leave thee comfortlesse I will come to thee My Text you see is Christs conjugall promise to his Spouse of all kindnesse during the time of his personall absence The matter of this promise is consolatory the forme according to which our Saviour expresseth this consolatory language is first negative I will not leave you comfortlesse Secondly affirmative I will come to you These latter words containe the reason of what is delivered in the former Wee cannot bee comfortlesse because Christ still
a mans spirit bee never so cold yet if Christ be with it hee is in the ready way to burne with love to Christ as strong as death which many waters cannot quench They that have Christ with their spirits are in the ready way to the very heigth of joy consolation they are in the ready way to joy unspeakable and full of glory These things have I spoken unto you that your joy may be full said Christ to his Disciples Christ speaks such things to the spirits of those with whom hee is present as fils their spirits with joy to the very brim and this oft times in the very depth of all outward extremity The Church doth darkly hint this The Comforter which should relieve my soule is far from me Lam. 1.16 As if the Church had said though my outward misery bee exceeding great yet if the Comforter did but keepe close to my spirit I should have as much consolation as my heart could hold in the midst of all my misery but this is my misery of miseries that the Comforter which should relieve my soule is far from me out of the hearing of sighes and groanes nay out of the hearing of strong cryes he is angry against my prayers In a word a Christian which hath Christ with his spirit is in the ready way to excell in vertue as David sayes to excell in all vertue to be wiser then his teachers more excellent in all grace then his neighbours And therefore to have Christ present with our spirits must needs be counted and called A prime and principall blessing Lastly to have Christ with our spirits is the ready way unto eternall good and therefore a prime and principall blessing As a stone carries with it whatsoever light thing be fastned to it unto its own center so Christ whose proper place of residence is Heaven carries with him thither all such spirits as to whom he is united on earth If we have a speciall friend at Court wee count that wee are in a ready way to see all the pompe of the Prince Christ hath the Keyes of Heaven and Hell hee opens and no man shuts shuts and no man can open all with whose spirits he hath dwelt and beene kindly used upon earth hee knowes and when they shall knock at those everlasting gates hee will open and let them in to every roome in his royall dwelling and shew them all the glory which he had with his Father before the world was 'T is betweene Christ and that spirit with whom he lives as between Naomi and Ruth where the one lives the other will Whilest such spirits live in the body Christ will live with them there when they remove out of the body Christ will not leave them death cannot separate but commands his Angels to bring them to eternall mansions with himself Christ which is lifted up to glory himselfe will draw all such unto him as in whose spirits he dwels and no strength shall bee able to withstand him none shall pluck such out of his hand Vnio cum Christo est unio inunibilis If to have Christ with our spirits bee a grand favour not to have him with our spirits must needs be a grand evill A spirit without Christ is naked as a body without cloathes Many things may make cloathing and defence for the body but only Christ that best garment as the Father of the Prodigall cals him can make cloathing and munition for the soule A mans spirit without Christ is as a naked body amongst thorns every thorne pierceth and every bryer scratcheth and fetcheth blood from such a body so worldly cares and worldly fears when strong will pierce such a naked spirit thorow and thorow and make him runne mad if God unsought do not seasonably step in and bridle the Bedlam A mans spirit without Christ is as a naked body amongst Serpents every Serpent stings and venomes such a naked body to death so every seed of the Serpent stings and poysons to death such naked soules by their threatnings flatteries examples and the like A mans spirit without Christ is as a naked body in great blasts of lightning such bodies are suddenly scorcht and consumed so such naked soules are suddenly blasted by the fiery darts of the Devill and so suddenly oft times goe from burning to burning from burning in sin to burning in hell A mans spirit without Christ is not only naked but blind too A naked man having his sight may make some shift but a man naked and blind too is in a miserable helpelesse state indeed and just such is the state and condition of every mans spirit that hath not Christ with it for as the Sunne in the Heavens is the eye and light of the greater World so the Sunne of righteousnesse Christ is the eye light of the lesser world man Now doe but imagine what a darke dolorous condition wee should all bee in if the Sunne were darkned or had utterly forsaken our Horizon or doe but thinke of that darknesse which was upon the Aegyptians for a little time when no man could stirre out of his place and such and much worse is the darke dolorous condition of a spirit without Christ not able to see the least beame of saving light not able to stir a steppe out of his place in the way that leads to life A mans spirit without Christ is not onely blind but dumme too A man that is blind yet if he can speake can begge for that which hee cannot see to worke But when a man is blind and dumme too that hee can neither helpe himselfe nor beg others hee is in a dolefull condition indeed and just such is the condition of every mans spirit that hath not Christ with it For as Christ is Eyes to the soule so hee is a Mouth and Tongue enabling it to cry Abba Father Unlesse the spirit of Christ be with our spirits helping our infirmities who are godly we are dumme and not able to speake to our owne Father as adopted children for daily Bread much more unable to begge for life to the dreadfull Judge of all the World must all ungodly persons needes bee whose spirits are altogether without Christ as an helper I would have all men that live in their sinnes thinke seriously of this when Christ as the dreadfull Judge of all the World at the great day shall aske you what you have to say for your selves that you should not eternally die for your sinnes in which you have lived you will bee like that man which was without his wedding garment dumme and not able to say a word for your selves because Christ is not with your spirits 'T is impossible that a mans own guilty spirit should bee able to looke the terrible judge of men and divells in the face much lesse speake a word for mercy unlesse the Al-mighty spirit of Christ be with it to aid it Many ignorant wretches sooth themselves with this that they will
his breasts all night my meaning is to have a full enjoyment of Christ Thus have I done speaking to such who can tell me that Christ as a Comforter is come to them In the next place I addresse my selfe to speak to such of the godly who can tell me that they never yet found Christ as a Comforter come to them Two or three things I have to say to you from this sweet doctrine 1. First I would have you to labour to beleeve this doctrine that Christ will not leave you comfortlesse but will certainly at last come to you Christ hath repeated his promise which is as a bond with many seales and therefore thou hast just ground to beleeve ô comfortlesse soule that Christ will not leave thee comfortlesse but will come to thee Object What just ground have I to beleeve that Christ will come to me seeing he is holy and I am unholy hee is glorious in holinesse and I am abominable in sin and wickednesse saith the weake comfortlesse soule Sol. Art thou more vile then Manasseh Christ came to him and comforted him Art thou more muddie and earthy then Zacheus Christ came to him and comforted him Art thou more divelish then Mary Magdalen out of whom were cast seven Devils Christ came to her and filled her soule with strong consolation Why should'st not thou beleeve that Christ will come to thee too and quiet and comfort thy mourning spirit Sol. But secondly I answer thus viz. Christ doth not so much lock how thou art qualified as at what hee hath promised Christ hath promised hee will come to thee and he is faithfull and will doe it If thy soule were never so poore never so blinde never so wretched never so naked yet Christ having promised to come to thee hee will make good his word though he come backward with a mantle to cover thy nakednesie as Shem and Iaphet did to Noah If thy soule were full of wounds if thy soule were full of running putrifying sores if thou wert as black with sin as an Ethiopian if thou wert as spotted with sin as a Leopard nay if thy soule did stink within thee as Lazarus body after taken out of the Earth againe yet Christ having promised to come to thee and comfort thee he will doe it though he hold his nose while hee bee comforting thy stinking nasty soule Heaven and Earth shall passe away but not a jot or tittle of Christs promise shall faile The voice of my Beloved behold he commeth leaping upon the Mountaines and skipping upon the Hils Cant. 2.8 Though there bee mountaines and hils of sin in thy soule yet Christ will come skipping over all these with comfort to thy soule rather then thou shalt be left comfortlesse Wherefore O weake comfortlesse soule say not of thy Saviour and Comforter as Balaam did I shall see him but not now I shall behold him but not nigh Num. 24.17 I shall see Christ come with a witnesse nay with many thousand witnesses at the great day when every eye shall see him but I shall not see him come to me now in this soule dolour as a Comforter I shall behold him peradventure as Moses beheld the Holy Land afar off he will never come nigh my poore soule to stay it with those comforts which it needs Cease O weak soule this incredulous language and strive to beleeve and this sweet promise I treat of shall be made good unto thee No sinne so mighty to keepe thy Comforter from thee as unbeliefe Say then O mourning Christian to thy comfortlesse soule Yet a little while and he that shall come will come and will not tarry Heb. 10.37 He that hath said he will come as a Comforter to thee will come and will satisfie thy soule with consolation as with marrow and fatnesse Say to thy sad soule with the Psalmist My God will come and will not keepe silence he will speak consolation so plainly that my ignorant soule shall understand so powerfully that my incredulous soule shall beleeve and owne her own mercies Thou art now tossed and almost drowned O my soule with restlesse waves of misery but the Spirit will move upon these waters thou shalt see Christ comming towards thee upon these troublesome waves anon and say be not afraid it is I I that have loved thee and given my selfe for thee and none shall pluck thee out of my hand Secondly as I would have thee to strive firmely to beleeve this truth so I would have thee endeavour patiently to waite the accomplishment of it Beleeve that Christ will come to thee and waite patiently untill hee doe come There is good ground why every soule should patiently waite for Christ comming to him whither we consider our selves which are to bee visited or Christ our visitour If thou O comfortlesse soule consider thy selfe which art to bee visited there is great reason thou should'st waite patiently till Christ come to thee how long soever he stay First thou art a creature and Christ is thy Creator and should not a creature wait on his Creator Thou art a servant and Christ is thy Lord and should not a servant waite on his Lord Consider thee in thy highest relations and they all call for waiting Thou art a Sonne and Christ is thy Father and should not a Sonne wait on his Father Thou art a Wife and Christ is thy Husband and should not a Wife wait on her Husband Secondly consider that thou hast deserved that Christ should never come to thee and yet for â—ll this seeing hee will come to â—hee hast not thou just cause â—o wait patiently till hee doe come how long so ever it bee first Before thy calling thou didst reject Christ and since â—hy calling thou hast often grieved Christ and hast not thou â—hen deserved that Christ should never come to thee Thou hast quenched many a sweet motion of the Spirit of Christ thou hast â—urned the deafe eare to the sweet still voice that hath spoken behinde thee times without out number and so slighted the Spirit of Christ and hast not thou then justly deserved that Christ as a Comforter should never come to thee yet seeing he will come for all this unkindnesse hast not thou just cause to wait patiently for him how long soever he stay Thou hast many weekes many moneths nay many yeeres gone along in a course of grieving Christ and doest thou think much of waiting a few weeks a few moneths a few yeeres for Christ to come to comfort thee Take this in another forme thou didst make Christ wait a long time upon thee ere thou wouldst let him abide with thee as a spirit of reformation and is there not just cause then that thou shouldst wait patiently a long time upon him if he will have it so ere hee abide with thee as a Spirit of consolation how many knocks did Christ give at thy stubborne heart ere thou wouldst open to him how much dew
throughly thou must to finde out what evill deprived thee of so great a good and in serious soule searching God will speak to thy conscience and conscience will speak plainly to thee and tell thee wherein thou didst give distaste to thy Comforter and what was the cause he forsook thy soule And when thou hast found out that evill which conscience tels thee deprived thee of so great a good thou must fall very foule with it how sweet soever it hath been unto thee Thy great worke must be to bring thy heart to a holy revenge upon this sin to abhorre it and thy selfe because of it and to become very vile as Iob saith and very low in thine owne eyes Bring thy heart to admire the infinite patience and mercy of God that things are no worse with thy soule That God had not cut thee off in the acting of that sinne for which he deserted thee that he hath left any place for repentance and given the least desire to set about this work And when thou art come thus farre possibly the light of Gods countenance may begin now and then to glance into thy soul as at some little cranny or at least some more then ordinary lightsomnesse may appear in thy dark dull soul as there doth in the dark morning some space of time before the Sun appears that had left this Horizon Now this beame of light or this little lightsomenesse of soule thou must much admire and acknowledge an unfathomed depth of love in it that God should so much as once stoope to cast an eye after thee more to give thy soule the least refreshing that did abuse flagons of love By this glimpse of light or glimmering light you are to strengthen your faith in the beliefe of this that light will more and more appeare as the light of the morning unto the perfect day and so consequently to follow God with so much the more fervency of prayer for the returne of his wonted kindnesse Toseph you know carried himselfe very roughly to his brethren which had abused him for some space of time and put them in great feare of the losse of their lives told them they were Spies and many harsh words he gave them and harsh looks but at last when his Brethren had brought to him Benjamin and discoursed a while Iosephs bowels began to work and he could no longer with-hold his brotherly love Come neare to me I pray you I am Ioseph your brother c. Gen. 45.4 Thus Christ our elder Brother deales with us who do unkindly unbrotherly use him he will handle us very roughly and put us in fear of the losse of our best lives he will make our consciences speake bitter things against us and let loose the Devill to tell us that we are Spies hypocrites and false friends to Christ in this distracted affrighted perplexed state hee may hold us many dayes many weeks many moneths but hee cannot hold in his brotherly love alwayes if wee patiently beare his frownes and kindly intreat him and bring Benjamin to him his own blood and merits this will make his bowels worke and make him unmask himselfe and say come neare to me O mourning soules tossed and not comforted I am Christ your elder brother whom yee unkindly used in a little wrath I hid my face from you but now with everlasting kindnesse will I embrace you Trinuni Deo gloria FINIS CHRISTS COMMUNION with his Church Militant 2. Tim. 4. verse 22. The Lord Iesus Christ bee with thy spirit THis Text is Pauls sweet affectionate farwell to Timothy Many grave and gracious instructions Paul had given Timothy but 't is not so much what man saith to the eare as as what Christ saith to the heart that workes effectually to set man about his duty and therefore doth Paul in the conclusion of all his Christian counsell to Timothy pathetically pray That the Lord Iesus Christ would be with his Spirit The best teaching of man is but as water spilt on the ground unlesse Christ inwardly teach the spirit If I am taught my duty by a Paul one in gifts not inferiour to the chiefest Apostles yet unlesse Christ bee with my spirit to make things take roote there all will die and wither like good seed cast into bad ground And therefore Paul saw it but needfull as to teach the eare so to intreate the Lord to teach and strengthen the spirit The Lord Iesus Christ bee with thy Spirit There is a great distance you know betweene the eare and the heart it is an easie thing for man to bring home things unto the one but no lesse then the Al-mighty power of Christ will bring home things unto the other There is an incomparable hardnesse upon the heart of man naturally it is harder then an Adamant now though a child with his little finger may make a dint upon dow yet a Gyant with all his strength cannot make dints upon an Adamant much lesse can all created strength make divine impressions upon the spirit of man and therefore it is that Paul doth implore an Almighty strength to doe this The Lord Iesus Christ bee with thy Spirit Why doth not Paul here wish riches and honours pleasures unto Timothy Is the bare presence of Christ with a mans spirit such a blessing To this I answer riches and honours c. they are bona but not optima good things but not the best things Earthly things though good in themselves yet are no further forth good to mee then as the Lord Jesus Christ is with my spirit to guide it to use them and therefore Paul as one truly wise prayed for the prime good for Timothy for that good which makes all other things worke together for good to wit That the Lord Iesus Christ would bee with his Spirit The point I intend to stand on is this That to have the Lord Iesus Christ with our spirits is a prime and principall blessing Paul here wisheth it to Timothy as a cardinall blessing The Lord Iesus Christ bee with thy spirit Enucleatio propositionis To have Christ with our spirits c. How can Christ bee present with man upon Earth who is now ascended and sitteth at the right Hand of his Father in Heaven The Apostle doth hint an answer to this question in the forme of his Prayer if you observe it The Lord Iesus Christ saith hee be with thy spirit Hee speakes of such a presence as will fitly yeeld Communion and fellowship to the spirit of man There is a double presence of Christ with man corporall and spirituall joyntly or meerly spirituall With just men made perfect in glory Christ is corporally present they behold his wounded Body made a glorious Body as a continuall assurance of the Resurrection of their owne vile bodies unto the same similitude And with them Christ is present spiritually filling them with those joyes the tast of which upon Earth is called unspeakable and full of
imparting divine mysteries if thou follow on to know as the Prophet speaks if thou humbly forget look over all thou hast presse hard after more the things thou knowest not Christ will teach thy spirit morning by morning as by the learned Christ hath taught thy spirit many truths why he will leade thy spirit into all truth if thou urge his promise and beleeve He will fill thee with the knowledge of his will in all wisdome and spirituall understanding If thou pray for it as Paul did for the Colossians Thou findest Christ with thy spirit as a Comforter why thou maist have yet much more consolation from him if thou study to be more pliable to him Thou hast Christ distilling drops of consolation into thy spirit now and then why thou maist have Christ powring in flagons of love into thy soule filling thee with joy unspeakable and full of glory if thou bring thy spirit to bee more lowly and meek for such find most rest to their soules if thou carefully keep comming to Christ still in every pressure of spirit for such finde most ease that is renewing faith still as thou renewest thy sins Thou findest Christ with thy spirit as a quickner strengthner to duty why thou maist find him yet more mighty with thy spirit this way if thou powre out thy spirit often with David for quickning grace and if thou more deny thine own strength and cast thy self more upon his Could we but attain Pauls height in selfe-denyall to bee nothing in our selvs though I am nothing saith he 2 Cor. 12.11 we should finde Christ gloriously present still with our spirits and be more constant in zeale strength to every good work then we are I conclude this thus bee so tractable to Christ that thou maist with Mary winne upon Christ still and think that thou canst never bee neere enough to him nor intimate enough with him and this is the ready way to have a heaven upon earth for the more we get Christ to be with our spirits the more truly may wee bee said to be in Heaven The last thing that I have to say to you that find Christ with your spirits is matter of consolation Here is comfort for you against famine When thy body wants food Christ that is with thy spirit will give that meat to eat which the world knowes not off so that when others repine and curse God and their King in their extremity as the Prophet speaks thou shalt bee patient in this tribulation and instant in prayer to him who can command Ravens to bring thee bread and flesh to feed on and will rather then thou shalt starve if thy life may bee more to his glory then thy death Here 's comfort for you against the sword In the midst of all troubles and fears Christ that is with thy spirit will beare thee up admirably What is the face of an enemy to terrifie if Christ be with thy spirit What is the spoiling of thy goods nay what is the spoiling of thy body if Christ bee with thy soule A Mountaine of misery is but as a Mole-hill if Christ support the spirit To think of the Sword is a naked reference to flesh and blood and so nothing is more terrible but let us that feare the Loro think of it in reference to Christ that is with our spirits then wee shall not be troubled though we heare of warres and rumours of warres no more then at the rumours of any other calamity Here is coÌ„fort for you against the Plague which is here and there scatterd in the Kingdome What is any disease to the body if Christ bee with thy soule As the outward man decayeth the inward man shall be renewed daily because Christ is with thy spirit When thy body is full of paine thy soule shall be full of comfort because Christ is with thy spirit When thy body is sealed with spots for death thy soule shall be sealed with the Holy Ghost unto eternall life because Christ is with thy spirit The plague of the body is nothing if this plague of plagues bee not upon the spirit to wit destitute of Christ Here is comfort for you against persecution When men frowne upon thee without Christ will smile upon thy spirit within when men lade thy outward man w th reproaches Christ will fill thy inward man with comforts when men shut up thy body from the communion of Saints Christ will give thy spirit a large freedome of communion with himself When men strike thy body Christ will stroke thy soule when men kill thy body Christ will save thy soule In a word as the afflictions of Christ abound in thy body so the consolations of Christ shall abound in thy soule because Christ is with thy spirit Name any misery that is incident to man and here 's comfort to be suckt out of this point to oppose unto it Finally in life in death eternally after death Christ that is with thy spirit will be gaine unto thee Thy life he will make comfortable thy death hopefull and thy being after death eternally joyfull Wherefore I will conclude my Sermon for the good of you as S. Paul doth his Epistle for the good of Timothy The Lord Iesus Christ bee with your spirits Trinuni Deo gloria Errata Pro 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 leg 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pag. 7. For say read saw p. 39. l. 6. pro pereunte solep eâ—…nt omnia lege pereunte sole pereunt omnia p. 114. Marg. For I do conceive r. I do not conceive p. 169. l. 7. FINIS