Christ the Best Inhabitant

_Text, EPHES. 3:17_That Christ may dwell in your hearts by Faith.

I Have chosen this Text, by reason of this Sacramental occasion, which does represent Christs dwelling in us: and it is the second head of Pauls Prayer. The first was, That they might be strengthened in the inward man. This; That Christ may dwell in their hearts by faith. Having in the former discourse opened the words, I shall not need to adde any thing here.

The point hence arising is: That it is a great prerogative, ofwhich all the Saints are partakers, that they have Christ to dwell in their hearts.

The Apostle prayeth for it, being directed by the spirit of God in his prayer, and therefore we should esteem of it, as of a great priviledge: And as of that, of which all the Saints are partakers, because it is necessarie to salvation: none are saved without it. Now for the better understanding of it I will first of all shew you these two things.

- 1. What it is to have Christ dwell in our hearts. — 2. What benefits we receive by his dwelling in them.

For the first, what it is to have Christ to dwell in our hearts; To this I answer. That then Christ dwells in our hearts, when as he works in them in another manner then he did before, he has other works, and we see other effects then formerly:

First he shewes himself kinde and favourable to us, inlightning, giving comfort, refreshing, framing and ruling ou spirits that beore he did not: and he does not in others he is said to dwell in the Temple, because his eyes are upon it, his ears are there open to hear the prayers of men, his mercy seat is there. Tis true, God fills heaven and earth: yet he is said to dwell in the Temple, because there he manifesteth his peculiar presence; so the phrases of the Scripture are to be understood. Go not up for God is not with you. That is, he will not assist you. God dwells where he assists: he dwells not where he helpes not. That you may understand this; consider these four particulars.

First where a man dwells, he must come to the house and abide in it: so Christ comes into the hearts of believers in whom he dwells, and unites himself to them, and their hearts to him. And that is done by a double act of the Spirit: First he humbleth and convinceth men of sin, he makes some alive, and us to be dead, the way to life is death, as the corn dies that it may live. And this the spirit of bondage does by putting an edge to the Law, by making men desirous of Christ. Secondly the Spirit of adoption that unites us, that perswades us that Christ is ours: Love makes the union; Faith is the agent in this union: but it does it by love: as fire is said to heat, though the qualitie does it immediately: when after sound humiliation we believe reconciliation with Christ; there is a love to Christ, then there is a union. That is the first word, he unites himself to the heart, and it to him.

Secondly, It is not enough for a man to come to the place, to be conjoyned to it for a time: but he must continue there, else he dwells not there but is a stranger: a dwell r must continue. Christ abides with us for ever, according to that everlasting Covenant which he has made with [〈◊〉], Is 55:3 He has made an everlasting Covenantwith us: even the sure mercies of David. He never seperates himself from us: after he comes he continues for ever.

But it may be objected: though Christ will not depart from us; yet we may depart from him.

To this I answer, that he will not suffer us to depart from him, Ier. 32:4. I will make an everlasting Covenant with them. That is, I will not turn away from them to do them good, but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me, we are knit together without separation, he never departs from us nor we from him; The reason why we continue in the state of grace, is not because grace is of an unsatiable nature: for it is a creature, and may vanish as all other creatures do: But it never failes because it is in Christ, and supported by his arm of omnipotencie. The light in the air may quickly perish, but if the sun be ever with it, it never perisheth, o the water of a stream may fail, but if there be a spring to supply it, it never fails: grace may perish as it did in Adam, but men ingrafted into the second Adam can never fall, because Christ is never severed from them; we have his word for it, he keeps us by his power: There is an everlasting Covenant on both sides. The Sacrament se ls this to us; That God has made a Covenant, that he will never depart from it, and we set our seal by it, that we will never depart from him, Gal 5:3. He that is circumcisedis bound to keep the whole Law. So he that receives the Sacrament, is bound, he engages himself to keep the Law of faith: and he receives that oath when he was baptized.

Thirdly where a man dwells, there he must delight: else he is not said properly to dwell there: a man that is imprisoned, is not said to dwell in the spirit, because he delights not in it. Now Christ is said to dwell in us, because he delights in us, Esai. 62:4. You shalt no more becalled forsaken, but Hephsebah: because the Lord delighteth in you; presence argues delight. God delights in the Saints therefore he dwells in them, he works in them that which is pleasing to them. Artifex amat opus proprium. He loves his own workmanship. Thus,

First God delights in them as in those that are beautiful, Cant. 4:1, 2, 3. You are beautiful my Love you are fair:You have Doves eyes, your teeth are like a flock of sheep, which are shorn, which came up from washing: your lips are a thread of Scarlet: your Temples like a piece of Pomegranate.

Secondly as one delights in a garden, so God delights in them, Cant. 4:12. because he has planted them, with such graces, as flourish and grow up in them.

Thirdly as one delights in a Feast: so God delights in them, Cant. 5:1. I have eaten my honey comb with my honey,I have drunk my wine with my milk, Revel. 3:20. I will come and sup with them. I delight in them as in a Feast.

Fourthly where a man dwells, there he is active, one that does nothing is not said to dwell in the place, but rather to be imprisoned: as one said of an idle man pointing to his body: hic situs est, his soul was buried in his body. So Christ is said to dwell in us, in regard of his activity, and influence, in regard of the works that he does in us: he works efficaciously in the soul, making it fit for himself; Christ has an influence into the Saints, he is still active, in them, furnisheth them with qualities, that they had not, and with actions that they did not before: as one having an house makes his garden: he dwells in us as the fire in the iron. That is as the fire gives to the iron all the qualities, and properties of fire; as hot, burning, and giving light: it makes it like the fire; so the spirit of a man when Christ dwells in him, is made as the Spirit of Christ in all thins according to that degree of grace that he has received.

We now come to the second thing we propounded, and that is to shew you the benefits that we have by Christ his dwelling in our hearts: and those are six.

First Where ever Christ dwells, he makes that person glorious: he filleth his heart with glory. This I take out of the Psal. 24. v. 7. Be you lift up you everlasting doors. That the King of glory may come in, The meaning is this, when ever Christ comes into any mans heart, he comes as the King of glory. That is, not as one that is glorious in himself, and keeps his glory to himself: but as one that communicateth his glory to that place where he comes. For there is that difference between Christ his coming in to an house, and the coming of a Prince: when a Prince comes, though he bring never so much glory with him, yet he puts it not upon the house, the house remains the same. But when Christ comes into the heart, he changeth he altereth the house, he beautifieth, and decks the soul with such excellencies, as in themselves are glorious, and appear glorious to the view of others. So Moses when he was with God, his face did shine, when he came down from the Mount, because there God communicated his glory to him. Indeed it is true, that was an outward visible glory: but yet the resemblance of that inward glory, which God communicateth to the soul of him in whom he dwells. That is he makes an impression of his own glory, of his own Image upon that heart into which he comes: he stampeth it, I say, upon the heart, and it is glorious in the Inward man; it shineth forth also in the life and conversation, even as the light shineth through the window: so is it when Christ dwells in the heart: he puts a glory there which shineth forth: makes him glorious in the eyes of others, gives a gracious and heavenly tincture to all his actions. And the reason is, because where he dwells he brings the spirit with him, the Spirit of glory resteth upon them: as you have it in 1 Pet 4. The Spirit of glory resteth uponyou when you are railed upon for his names sake. That is, that spirit dwells in you, covereth you; and let them say what they can, they shall not be able to hurt you, for you are compast about with light, even with the glorious Spirit of God. As if one should cast dirt upon the Sun, he cannot obscure the glory of it, because light dwells in it, so when men speak evil of the Saints, disgrace and revile them, they cannot hurt them, for there is glory in them that shineth about them.

Now glory is nothing else but the manifestation of some excellencie to the view of others: so we attribute still the word, glory, to such in whom we see some excellency: to see a man in gorgeous apparel, An Army under banners, to see a ship under sail, we say they are glorious. So Michal said of David, How glorious was the King of Israel to day? because then he manifested himself: Now when God sheddeth abroad his Spirit into the heart of any, whom he infuseth the graces of his Spirit into them, he is said to put glory into them, This Christ does wheresover he comes, because he furnisheth them with grace, and every grace is glorious, As it is said of wisdom in the Proverbs. He that is in estimation for wisdom and glory: That is for wisdom which is glorious: so when Christ comes into the heart of any, he makes them wise, and therefore glorious. The like may be said of an other vrtue; therefore in the Epistle of Peter, vertue, and glory, are joyned together. In a word, the Image of God is in them: which is compounded of many graces, Now that image is a glorious Image, 2 Cor. 3. You are changed to the Image of God from glory to glory. That is from one gloi us degree of grace to another; And this is the first bn si we have by Christ, he makes them glorious in whom he dwells, because he puts his graces in them, and stamps his similitudes upon them.

Secondly, A second benefit that we have by Christs dwelling in us, i this, where ever he dwells, he ruleth and governeth, he guideth the spirit wherein he dwells, he keeps the heart in order, from mutinies and tumults: he keeps all the affections in obedience, And this is a great benefit, and this he does where he dwells; Therefore in Psal. 24. it is said Be you lift up you everlastingdoors, (speaking there of the soul which only is everlasting▪) and the King of glory shall come in, That is he ruleth as a King, dwells as a King, that ruleth in the place where he comes. That as Satan ruleth in the hearts of the children of disobedience: so Christ ruleth in the children of obedience: he guideth them, and governeth them, he ordereth their steps the right way, That is, when there are in them lusts fighting in their mind, a law in their members, rebelling against the Law of the spirit: he keeps down these Rebels, he mortifieth these lusts: and therefore in Rom. 8. The affections are said to be servantsto righteousness, That is because righteousness ruleth in the hearts of those in whom Christ dwells.

But you will say, what benefit is this: what priviledge is it to have Christ rule us? it seemeth rather to be contrary▪ it seemeth rather that this is to be restrained, and to be over-ruled; is it not better to have our liberty?

I answer, that it is not: but it is a great priviledge to have Christ govern in us: for he is not as those governours that govern for themselves; but he has the propertie of a good governour, that spendeth his sweetness for the good of those, over whom he is a governour. And this you will see if you consider what a government it is. For it freeth you from the government of other Lords: from the goverment that your lusts have over you, Again he governeth not as a Tyrant, by force, but as the soul governeth the members without difficultie. Now as it is said of the Members, that while they serve and obey the soul, That very labor is a rest, and that obedience is a liberty: even so the soul when it obeyeth Christ, that is indeed a libertie, and that service is rest, the reason is, because Christ guideth them sweetly in whom he dwells: all the members are guided by the soul with a willing resigation, so that from an inward propensness, not from constraint, they do what they will: it is therefore an easie government. Again when any thing is made obedient to what is the proper rule of it, it is the better for it: for in it the perfection of every creature lieth, when the Creature has a Law given it, according to which if it work, it is in the best condition. Now God himself & the law is the rule to which every man should conform, therefore the creature is best, when it is in obedience to him; even as is the body of man, when it is best governed, and kept closest to the rule, it is best in health: so it is in the soul of a man, the better it is governed, the more obedient it is to Christ, the better it is in health: for every rebellion is a sickness and disturbance to the foul: Therefore you have a great benefit, when Christ dwells in your hearts as a King; If it were not for that my Brethren, whether would your unruly affections carry you? how would those rebels wound you? how would they rob you of all that that is good? those foolish and hurtfullusts that are in you, how would they drown you in perdition? Now when Christ dwells in the heart, he keeps down these lusts, keeps the soul in good temper, guideth our feet into the way of peace: our feet of themselves would be running into miseries and dangers, his goverment keeps us out of these: This is his goverment, and this is the second benefit that we have by Christ his dwelling in us.

The third benefit is this, where Christ dwells there he comforteth, and refresheth the heart; This I take out of Esai. 57:15. Thus says the Lord, the high and loftic onethat inhabiteth eternitie. I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite, and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones; In that place you have Two benefits exprest: one is, that Christ refresheth the heart of the humble in whom he dwells. And secondly he gives life to them: we will speak of both: and begin with the first which is the third in order. When a man is drooping, when his spirit is dejected in him, when he meditateth of nothing but of fear and danger. Now when Christ comes into the heart, he setteth all at rest: he brings a tranquilitie to the soul. In a word he filleth the heart with joy wherever he comes; For as the Sun brings light into the world, so Christ brings joy into the heart; and you can no more have him in your heart without some joy, then the Sun can be in the world without light; And it must needes be so, because where Christ comes, he brings matter of joy with him, for where ever he comes he brings salvation, as he said to Zaccheus, this day is salvation come to your house. Now when Christ shall say to a man, That salvation is come to him, he brings matter of joy, so he is said to come as a Bridegroom. Now a Bridegroom is alwayes bringing of joy, so it is compared to the joy in harvest, and to the joy of those that divide the spoil.

Again Christ brings his spirit, and his spirit is a spirit of joy, therefore he is called the comforter, this made God break forth into this speech: seemeth the consolations of God a small thing to you?

Again he brings a Kindom, and that Kingdom consisteth of joy, in Romans 14:17. The Kingdom of God is notmeat, and drink, but Righteousness and Peace, and joy in the holy Ghost, Again where Christ dwells, you cannot have him but you must have much joy with him, because joy followeth him naturally; at his right hand are pleasures for evermore. Therefore in whomever he dwells that partie must needs have joy. Look through the world, and what joy some ever a man has, it is accordding to the measure of his participation with God. Therefore those that have him fully, as in heaven, they have a fulness of joy: Those that have him not at all, as in hell, there is a fulness of grief: Indeed in heaven it is midday, and in hell, it is midnight, The one has the sun alwayes with them; the other darkness it self. Now those that are in the way to both, as the Saints which are in the spring of the day, They have some measure of joy, even as much as they participate of God, and the reprobate that shall be damned, and here dwell in the twi-light, they have some flashes of joy, according as God communicateth himself in common gifts and graces to them. But in a word, so much of God so much of joy a man has: Now when God himself dwells in a mans heart, and if joy thus naturally follow him, it must needs refresh the hearts of those in whom he dwells: so much for the third Benefit.

A Fourth Benefit is this, That he gives life to those in whom he dwells, that is he makes them living men; he lives in every man in whom he dwells as the vine in the branches. That is all the actions and properties of life we draw from him, all the sense we have is from him, in him we live, move, and have our being, and this is a great Benefit. For the worst living thing, is better then the best dead thing, and among lifes, the life of grace which Christ gives is the best life; because it comes nearest to the life of God, and Angels: And they have only this life, in whom Christ dwellerh, for the most living men are but ghosts whilest they are alive: now when Christ comes into their hearts; he puts life into them, he makes them living men. Again those that are in Christ: though they have some root of life continually in them, yet they are often, dead, and dull, and indisposed to do any holy duty: It is Christ now that quickneth them, and makes them ready to every good work. All the motions, all the fruites of life in your selves, are but the budding and putting forth of the spirit; therefore all such blossomes are precious, and they should be nourished in you: you should not let them wither for want of sap, and that you may have from Christ, for it is he that quickens every man, by his Spirit; That look as the old Adam makes sin active in every one that is born of him, so the second Adam communicateth grace and life to those that are ingrafted into him by faith. Therefore he is called a quickening spirit: even as a man lives when the soul is conjoyned to the body, so the soul lives, when Christ is conjoyned to it: Look upon all the living Saints, the reason why they live among such a multitude of dead men, is because Christ is in them; if you see one more holy then another, more active, more nimble in the wayes of Gods commandments then another, it is because Christ dwells more in him then in another: if you find your selves more ready, and more strong to perform any duty, it is because Christ helpeth and quickens you, for he is your life. In a word, all the life you have is derived from his inhabitation, and dwelling in you, And this is the fourth Benefit that we receive from Christ, he makes us living men.

The fifth benefit we have and receive from Christ his dwelling in us, is that he consecrateth us, and makes us holy. Know you not says the Apostle 1 Corinthians 3:17. That you are the Temple of God, and that the spirit dwells in you. That is Christs act, no man is holy, but he whom Christ consecrateth, and he consecrateth the soul, That is, he sanctifies it, sets it apart, makes a temple peculiar to himself: for holiness is nothing but an appropriating something to Gods use, and sequestring it from common uses: Now when Christ works such a work in the spirit of a man, he is said to consecrate a man, to sanctifie him.

And that he does when he revealeth to us the vanitie of earthly things on one side, And the excellencie of heavenly things on the other side. By this means the heart is weaned from those, and is knit and married to these in a conjugal love, so that it loves him, and nothing besides; and this I say Christ does, by revealing the truth, making earthly things to appear vain as they are, and God to appear beautiful and excellent as he is: For when he appeareth as he is, we cannot but love him: and that is the reason it is said, Sanctifie them with your truth; that is, when any man has the truth revealed to him, he sees things as they are, then his spirit cleaves to God, loves God, marrieth it self to God, keeps it self proper to him, weaneth itself, and estrangeth it self from all other things. That which is called sanctifying in that place, you shall find in two places of Scripture exprest in such tearms, as express this double act of Christ which I named to you, as in the 2 Tit. verse penult. He has purified to himself a peculiar people; that is, he has emptied them of whatever may draw them from God, and has sanctified them by his spirit. And so again in the 30. Deut. 6. And the Lord God will circumcise the heart, that you mayest love the Lord your God with all thyheart, &c. That is, I will draw you to me, your hearts shall cleave to me. Now then when these two acts are done, the heart circumcised, and love put into it, that it cleaves to God without separation. This is the sanctifying of the heart, this Christ works wherever he comes. And (my Brethren) this is not an easie thing to do, and indeed no man can do it but Christ: for this holiness of spirit is not only an abstaining from the things common and unclean, from pollution of flesh and spirit; it is not an abstaining from them out of judgement only, but then a mans spirit it is holy, when he has an inward propence inclination to that which is good, and an aversness to that which is evil. When the spirit has a new quality put into it, Abhor that which is evil, and cleave to that which is good, this is holiness, not to abstain from the evil only, but to abhor it, not only to do the good, but his spirit cleaves to the good, loves the good. So it is said, Lot had his righteous soul vexed with the unclean conversation of the Sodomites, that is, he had a holy soul, and in this his holiness was seen, that he vexed, &c. So Moses, his holiness appeared when he wept, when he saw the people commit idolatry; so Paul, his spirit was stirred within him, when he saw the idolatry of the people of Athens. So when a mans spirit stireth it self after this manner, when from that new quality that is put into it, it works out the uncleanness that is in it: this is the holiness of the spirit, and no man has it but from Christ. As the needle, unless it have it from the Loadstone, could not have that property of looking to the North; so it is with the spirit of a man, before Christ dwells in him, before he has put a new quality of holiness, he never looks towards God, but when it is done once, it cannot do otherwise; therefore those in whom Christ dwells cannot sin, that is, cannot delight in sin: this is a great benefit therefore, and this holiness of spirit they have in whom Christ dwells, To be holy in all manner of conversation, to be holy at all times in all places, in all that he does to have a holiness of spirit acting and appearing in it. It is a hard thing, and therefore the benefit is the greater: so now how much unholiness we may find in the spirits of men, when the spirit of a man steppeth out and does what it does to its own ends, and looks not to Christ, but to other ends, this is unholiness and adultery of the spirit; therefore those, the trade of whose life is not to look at God in their actions, but to themselves, to pass from pleasure to pleasure, and from sport to sport, and all for themselves; those also that are so much occupied in worldly businesses that God is forgotten, this is exactly contrary to holiness, for here the spirit turns it self from God, whereas we should be holy in all manner of conversation, holy in every thing, holy in eating, holy in drinking, holy in recreation, holy in all our business, holy in mirth, &c.

But you will ask how shall that be?

When you do all these as to God, as fiting you for his service; when you put God as the end to all that you do, then is your spirit holy, you know that place, Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God. That is, respect God in it, make not your selves the utmost end of it, for then your heart is unholy, for holiness is to keep the heart close to God, peculiar to him alone, eying God in all things. When he turns from him, that is the unholiness of the spirit. This benefit we have by Christ dwelling in our hearts, our spirits are consecrated to him, all that is in us is turned, and looks that way; and so much for this fifth Benefit.

The sixth and last benefit we have by Christ dwelling, is defense, he defendeth those in whom he dwells, he covereth them, he is a buckler and protector to them, he preserveth them from all evil, from all crosses, or the evil of crosses. This is a great benefit. For there is this difference between Christ and other Inhabitants, other Inhabitants are defended by the house wherein they dwell, but here the Inhabitant defendeth the house. And the reason is good, because, though he dwell in our hearts, yet he is our habitation, as it is in the Psalm, that is, we dwell in him, he covereth us, as a house covereth a man, and defendeth him from the violence of the weather. This you have excellently exprest in the 4. Isaiah, the two last verses, Upon all their glory shall be adefence; that is, upon all the people of God which are glorious, he calls them glory in the abstract. I will defend them from all evil. If you ask what defense it is? you shall see a distribution of it, in the verses following, I will be as a covering in the heat of the day: That is, one kind, and a place of refuge and covert from storm and from rain. That is, if there be heat I will keep you from that, if there be storms and rain I will preserve you from that; you shall be as a man within doors. Thus Christ defendeth those that belong to him, he is a covering to them, he keeps them safe; in the 1 Cor. 3. Him that destroyeththe Temple of God, him will the Lord destroy. It is his Temple, it is the place where he dwells, and be assured, Christ will not have his house pulled down over his head; no man will promise his Inheritance to be spoyled. Now Gods children are his portion, they are his sheep, he will not suffer them to be plucked out of his hands. Therefore the Prophet Esay compareth his Church to a Tent, that though it be made of two or three materials, only cords and stakes, yet says he, there shall not a cord be broken, nor a stake plucked up. My Brethren, if you look upon the Church, you will wonder that they should not have been swallowed up ere this time, but know that God dwells in this Tent, he keeps and defendeth them. Christ dwells thus in every believer, in particular he will be a buckler, and defense to him. And this benefit you have by Christ dwelling in you.

And so much for the Benefits you receive by Christs Inhabitation in you.

We must add something now for the application of this point; and first, you may make this use of it. Learn to judge aright of the works of God in your hearts, and remember that it is wrought by Christ himself. It is Christ himself that is in you, that consulteth with you, that acts in you, that enliveneth you to every duty, he himself is given us of God, to be our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption; it is he himself that will come in and sup with us, Rev. 3. And therefore if you would have a great measure of grace, a great measure of comfort and refreshing, if you would feel the life of grace flowing abundantly in your hearts, fasten your eyes upon Christ the fountain. This is our fault (my Brethren) that we look upon grace, and remission of sins, and sanctification, separated from Christ, we labor not for Christ in the first place, we look upon pardon for sin, we go to God for it, but we think not upon Christ; learn first to get Christ to dwell in your hearts, fasten your eyes upon him, intreat him to come there and sup with you, and then take from him justification and sanctification, the spirit and every grace. For so it is, as when a wife marrieth a husband, she must not think of the titles, honours and commodities that he brings separately from himself, for then it is an adulterous thought, she must first take her husband, and then those other things come along with him: so must we do with Christ, fasten our eyes upon Christ himself, love him, cleave to him, labor to have our heart married to him by faith, then we have remission of sins, then we have adoption, then we have reconciliawith God, and every particular grace coming along with him. Even as if a man would have a treasure that lieth hid in a field, he must first have the field it self, and then he may take the treasure; he must not think of the treasure as of a thing abstracted from the field, even so, you must get Christ, for in him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, and of his fulness, we receive grace for grace. But this is our hinderance, that we look upon these things separately and apart from Christ. But let us remember that it is Christ that dwells in our hearts, and although indeed it is by his spirit, yet it is he himself that is the fountain of all; get Christ therefore more and more into your hearts; for you must know that there are degrees of dwelling, as the Sun dwells more in the house at several times, so Christ dwells more and more plentifully in the hearts of men, even as there is a neerer union between us and him, and so he dwells in us accordingly; as there are degrees of familiarity between friends, so are there degrees of union and habitation, between Christ and us. And accordingly are there degrees in all the effects of his habitation; labor therefore to get Christ in your hearts.

But you will say, how shall this be done?

Labor to get a contrite and humble heart, there God delighteth to dwell; there are but two places in which he delights, Isa. 57. In the highest heavens, and with him also that is of an humble and contrite spirit; look what delight he has to dwell in the heavens the same delight he takes to dwell in him that is of an humble spirit. This is the reason why so many living in the Church have not Christ in them; they are not yet humbled, they are not yet sensible of their sins, they know not as yet that they are children of wrath; whereas a man that is humbled, and broken with the sense of his sins, that has his heart wounded with them, this is one that is a fit habitation for Christ to dwell there. Therefore it is, that even the Saints themselves, when they begin to have their hearts lifted up in them, that Christ removeth them far from him, and therefore also is it that he humbleth them, before he returneth to them again: So it was with David and Hezekiah, when they were lited up in their hearts, you see how God for sook them, and how angry he was with them: get humbled hearts therefore. When you can say to Christ in good earnest, as the Centurion said, Lord I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof: that is the best way to draw his favour to you. You know how readily Christ healed his servant, how he admired him.

Again, the neerer you draw to him, the more he will dwell in you; it is the Apostle James his counsel, or rather the Spirit of God y St. James, I[•…]. 5. Draw neer to God, and he will draw neer to you. And Christ himself, in John 15:4. Abide in me, and I will abide in you. That is, if we would come nr him, we must not suffer our selves to go a whoring after the things of the world, but mind him, draw neer to him, then would he dwell in you.

Again, the wider you open the door, wn he knocks, the further he ntrth, Rev. 3. I stand at the door and knock, if any man will open the door, I will come in and sup withhim; that is I will come in and dwell with him, enter commons with him. Now [•…]re said to open the door, when you yield to his knocking, that is, when you are stirred up to any good duty by hearing the Word: all all provocations are knocking at the door, the more you yield to these, and the more willing you are to perform holy duties, the more you open, and so the more Christ dwells in you.

Again, the less you live to your selves, and the more you are emptied of your selves, the more Christ dwells in you, the less you live to pleasures, and the more you are emptied of whatever is in you, the more will Christ dwell in you.

Again, the cleaner you keep your heart, the more will he delight to dwell in you, a man that is of a neat disposition, loves not to be in a soul place; so Christ abhorreth to dwell in a heart that is oul and unclean, the more clean therefore you keep your heart from Rebellions and unruly lusts, and the more you are free from any kind of vanity, and the more you grow up in holiness, the more will Christ delight to dwell in your heart.

Again, the larger spirit a man getteth, and the stronger he is in the inward man, These are the means whereby you may get Christ to dwell in your hearts; and the more humble and contrite spirit you are of, the nearer you draw to him; the wider you open the doors when he knocks, the less you live to your selves; the cleaner you keep you heart, the stronger you are in the inward man: why then the more you shall have Christ governing you, the more you shall have him putting his glory upon you; the more you shall find him comforting and refreshing your hearts, the more you shall find him quickning you to every good work; the more he will defend you, the more he will consecrate you: But still remember that it is Christ that does all, when you do any holy duty, when you have any strength to perform any thing that is of any special moment, it is Christ that dwells in you, that acteth in you; as the Apostle says, it is Christ that lives in me; that is, if you see any holiness in me, if you see me excelling others in grace, if you see me doing great and strong actions of Religion, it is not I that do it but Christ that lives in me, it is he that strengtheneth me; therefore for a man to think to live the life of grace without Christ, is as if a man should think to live a natural life without a soul, no wonder therefore that you cannot abstain from such and such a lust, that you cannot pray, that you cannot sanctifie the Sabbath; no wonder, seeing you want Christ, no man else can do it. Sampson, when God was departed from him, became as another man; the reason why he did such marvellous things, above the reach of other men, was because God was with him; the reason why the Saints do so much, is because God is in them, he lives in them, he enableth them to do all that they do; therefore if you find your selves as common men as other men, not able to do peculiar things, not able to reach that pitch of holiness which God requireth, and is expressed in the lives of the Saints; know that the reason is, because you have not Christ: remember that it is Christ that does all, and therefore in all the things that you do, if you find your selves at a dead lift, if you be unable to do a holy duty, labor to sigh for Jesus Christ; say, Lord I can do nothing without you, it is you that must enable me to every good work, I cannot so much as think a good thought without you: labor thus to have recourse to Christ, it is he that must quicken and enliven us, or else we are but dead men.

Secondly, If Christ live in the Saints, then let them know what priviled e they have, and triumph, and rejoice in it. It is good for us (my Brethren) often to reflect upon these spiritual priviledges: remember now that you have Christ in you, that must be a great advantage to you. When Moses was to go up with the people into the promised Land, he would not be content with n Angel, but he would have Gods own presence, God yieldeth to his opportunity. You see by that how much Moses esteemed of Gods presence: know therefore that it is a great benefit to have the presence of Christ in the soul, learn to esteem it so; it brings much comfort, and another kind of comfort then any other creature can bring. Again, consider if Christ dwell in you, you are made living Temples, in the 1 Peter 2:4, 5. You as living stones are built up a spiritual house, a holy Priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifice acceptable to God by Iesus Christ. They were dead stones, and dead Temples before; and this is a great priviledge, for we have all the benefits that the Temple had: no sacrifice you know was accepted but from the Temple, no prayer was accepted but what came from the Temple, or directed towards the Temple. So it is with the Saints, all their prayers are accepted, because Christ dwells in them, and they are his spiritual Temples to offer up spiritual sacrifice acceptable to God through Christ, it is peculiar to them alone; others may pray and hear the Word, and do some other outward duties of Religion, but they are not acceptable, because they are not Temples of Christ. Consider this (my Brethren) and rest not in your outward performances, nor priviledges: labor to have the assurance of being the Temples of God, it is that which makes your sacrifice accepted. This confuseth the common error, men think they may satisfie their lusts, &c. and yet if they pray morning and evening, receive the Sacrament at least once in the year, and do some other outward performances, they think they make God some amends. But alas it is not so, the Lord abhorreth all those sacrifices, because they come not from his Temple. They are not sacrifices offered upon that altar they should be, they are not yet of that holy Priesthood spoken of before, and yet there is that hypocrisie in the spirits of men, that they are neither willing to omit holy duties altogether, nor willing to perform them in that holy and zealous manner as they ought: Labor therefore to have Chirst dwelling in your hearts, otherwise nothing will be accepted.

I thought to have added something to have made known to you, when Christ dwells in your hearts. As one way to know it, where Christ dwells, there none dwells but him as the glory of God filled the Temple, so Christ filleth the heart.

Again, where he dwells, he dwells powerfully, he is strong, able to make men go through with their good purposes and resolutions.

Again, 3. He continueth and abides there for over, he makes them constant in performing holy duties.

And lastly, He is active as the Sun, when that dwells in the world, we see how it enlighteth the world, so Christ enlightneth the soul where he dwlleth, makes us able to judge all things. Again, where the Sun comes, it thaweth the frozen earth, and causeth a Spring, it causeth every thing to flourish; so Christ dwells in the heart as the Sun in the world, or as the soul in the body, see what a beauty the soul puts upon the ody, what motion, what sence; such an al eration there is when Christ commeth into a mans heart. If you find therefore a power in you to do good duties, not weak offers, and breeding of good conceptions, and yet have no strength to bring them forth, Christ is not yet in you. But if Christ be in you, where he dwells, he dwells powerfully: shall the Devil think you, powerfully rule those in whom he dwells? And shall not Christ strengthen and enable those in whom he dwells?

Again, if you finde your Religion to be but for a fit, if upon sicknesse or upon the apprehension of death, or upon the touch of some sermon, or upon some fearful accident befalling others or your selves, you can pray, and hear, and perform the outward parts of Gods Worship, and yet fall off again afterwards. Know for certain that you have not Christ in your hearts; for if once he were there, he would remove no more, ut nle you to? constart course of holiness. There may be some cluding now and then: but the Sun will nver set upon your hearts.

Lastly, If you find not an alteration in your soul, a spring in the inward man, as when the Sun comes into the world life, and beauty, as when the soul commeth into the body, be assured that Christ is not yet come into your heart: on the contrary, if you do find all these, then know that Christ dwells in your hearts. And this you are to rejoyce in, as the greatest priviledge vouch safed to you under the Covenant of Grace.