I hope that I may fay, that it is your earnest Defire to enjoy Chrift; and that any Thing below this, would have been too low an End for you; in your earnest Defires for me to be restored to you, and to have me among you once more; to fee me in the Flesh only, was too low an End but your End I hope was that you might enjoy Chrift: That I might be fpared to preach Salvation in Chrift to you, what your Souls had formerly tafted of: The Lord wip'd away your Tears, and took away your forrowful Spirits, O that you may meet with Jefus Chrift whom your Souls long for, and long to hear from! O'that he that is the Life of Saints, may come with quickening Life to your Souls, that you may know your Aim and End was, that you might enjoy Chrift: The Lord hath heard your Cries, and the Lord grant your Weeping and Sorrow may be turned into Joy while you live, and that we may meet together before the Throne, where you fhall have your Tears wiped away.

Fourthly, The fourth Reason is, the endeared Love of Jefus Chrift constrains a Believer to defire nothing in this Life, but what they may enjoy Chrift in: O faith a Believer, Lord let me die in thy Embraces, rather than to live with the hiding of thy Face; I had rather die in thy Arms, than to live with thy Arms clasped against me: The Love of Christ constrains me, as 2 Cor. V. 14. Friends, have you tafted of the Love of Chrift, and can you defire any Thing that you do not enjoy Chrift in? What a poor Heap of nothing is all in the World without Chrift; A Saint will tell you if you ask him, that he never lived a Day while he lived without Chrift; why

the

the Love of Chrift is fhed Abroad in his Heart, for the Love of Christ constraineth us, because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: Saith the Apostle, The Love of Christ constrains me; why, if one died for all, then were all dead in Sin; what shall we do then, that they which live, should not henceforth live unto themfelves, but unto him which died for them, androfe again? When a Soul by Faith fees a dying Christ, methinks he fhould fay, The Love of Chrift conftrains me He lived in Love, and taught Love, he died in Love, and fits at God's RightHand, in the Infinitenefs of his Love, to intercede for his redeemed ones: Saith the Apostle, The Love of Chrift conftrains me. If we aks fome, Why do you long after the Enjoyments of Chrift? O fays the Soul, the Love of Chrift! 'The Love of a bleeding dying Chrift conftrains me? How lovely are his Embraces? He hath called me, loved me, washed me a dead Sinner, a wretched Sinner: O the Love of Chrift conftrains me; I am in a ftrait, I would not ask for Life, if I might not enjoy Chrift, not Chrift only as he was King of the Jews, as he converfed here on Earth, but a crucified bleeding. Chrift. Paul goes through the World as a Man minding nothing: I don't know any Man after the Flesh, nor I do not regard what Man faith: No, nor I do not know Chrift as he came of the Stock of the Jews; but I know Chrift as my Redeemer, and that he died for me. He goes thro' the World as a Man that had loft a rich Pearl, he goes looking for that Pearl, fo that he minds nothing else: But if I could find this Pearl, it is the Love of Chrift, it constrains me to live to him: I go through the World taking notice of nothing elfe, Gal. ii. 20.

I am crucified with Chrift, nevertheless I live, yet not I, but Chrift liveth in me; and the Life which I now live in the Flesh, I live by the Faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me; who loved me a wretched Sinner, who loved me an undone Sinner, who loved me a condemn'd Sinner, who loved me a dead Sinner. O the Love of Chrift conftrains me, that if I live, let me live in him, let me live to him; O how can I live without him! Oftay me with Flaggons, comfort me with Apples, for I am fick of Love, Cant. ii. 5. The Love of Chrift conftrains a Believer; it is not the Law; it is not because elfe I fhall be damned without him; no, no, if I do Duties, enjoy Sabbaths, it is all nothing to me without Chrift.

Fifthly, A Believer fears nothing more than the Withdrawings of Chrift; of all the Tidings and News that can be brought to him, nothing does he fear fo much as Chrift's withdrawing from him; he fears leaft this Sun fhould withdraw, that he fhould fee a dark Day; though Chrift will never be gone totally, yet he fears the hiding

of his Face.

Sixthly, A Believer hath a new Principle, a Principle of Grace, the Kingdom of Heaven within him, that he cannot live without Chrift, the new Creature, the new Principle, is Christ poffeffing the Heart, and when Chrift poffeffes the Heart, it puts all Things at Arm's length; fo Chrift may be enjoyed, Gal. i. 16. I conferred not with Flesh and Blood, when God revealed his Son, then I was off of my old Principle: I did not confer with Flesh and Blood, with fleshly Principles: I was not only off from my own RighteQufnefs, my own Works, my own Prayers and

Duties,

Duties, but I come to live upon Chrift. I come to have a new Life within, a new Glory revealed to my Soul; I come to live upon Chrift, to drive a new Trade for Heaven. When once the Lord revealed Chrift to me, I conferred not with Flesh and Blood: Now conferring with Flesh and Blood is the Ruin of many Souls. First, Take conferring with Flesh and Blood for the World, and all the Enjoyments of it, how many turn their Backs on Christ, and ruin their Souls for the Love of the World? Secondly, Take Flesh and Blood for all the Performances and Duties that Perfons can do, when Perfons take this for their Righteoufnefs, how do they split their Souls on it? When Paul was a Pharifee, he thought his own Duties would fave him, but when Chrift was revealed to him, then faith he, I count all but Dung and Drofs that I may win Christ; one that was righteous, a praying Paul, one that had enough to carry him to Heaven as he thought; alas, faith he, all this was but Flesh and Blood when I came to know Chrift.

Thirdly, Take Believers with what they have to oppose them, take Believers under their doubting, then they will confider what they have of their own to help them to Heaven; but faith Paul, I conferred not with Flesh and Blood.

The Seventh Reafon, The Believer by Faith hath found Chrift the Pearl of Price, he hath found enough to live upon: The Merchant goes feeking goodly Pearls, but when he hath found the Pearl of great Price, he fells all to buy that Pearl, Mat. xiii. 46. Who when he had found one Pearl of great Price, he went and fold all that he bad and bought it. He was feeking godly Pearls:

There

There are many good Things that Perfons feek, but not the good; I confefs they are good Pearls. Praying is a good Duty, hearing is a good Duty, the Lord's Supper and Baptifm are good Duties, and they are the Believer's Priviledge and are not to be omitted. But Chrift is the precious Pearl, the Pearl of great Price: There is not one of thefe Pearls will open the Kingdom of Heaven, or give you Accefs to the Throne of Grace, or crown you with everlasting Glory. The foolish Virgins had thefe goodly Pearls, but not the Pearl of great Price; they went along with the wife Virgins, they were called Virgins, they were without Spot, but when the Bridegroom came, they wanted the Pearl of Price, when Chrift came, they cried, Give us of your Oil; if they had but one Dram of Grace, they had entered in with the Bridegroom, but we fee they were fhut out. Many go thro' the Field of the Gofpel, and take up many goodly Pearls; Praying, Hearing and Fafting are goodly Pearls, but when the Soul comes to find Christ, to know him, he fells all for that Pearl of price: Sell them, how? Does he part with his Duties? No, no; does he neglect praying, hearing and other Duties and Ordinances ? No, but he fells them, as if a Man fhould bind up all his goodly Pearls together, and give them all for one Pearl of great price. So a Man fells all his Duties and Performances, as that which doth nothing in Point of Juftification, but all for to glorify that Jefus Chrift, that precious Pearl of Price. He fells his Sins and his Righteoufnefs too; many think if they part with their Sins, they have found the Pearl of Price; it is a good Thing to turn from Sin, but truly there must be another Turn; you

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