| OCR Text |
Show Sol. · All e-J(!Jort~cf to !ttboHr L•rJ.! Oti•· fott foal! J~nd wtthi,.tb.yg«t~.r.'O,Y;~ujal~nt 1 {;an' you fee the fiuit of duift in your own·Sou\ ; q u a~kenmg you when y011 were deaa in trcfpalfcs and Sms; tran~atln~ you out of the . Kingdom of darknefs into the Kingdom of has dear ~on, q utcken- "ing you,flrengthning·yoco, &c. <Can you fit and meditate of> Etcr. nity and rejoyce in the hopes you have of the Glory of Go.d. B1ut 1 hear fome poor doubting Soul fay here ; If tbl< be true tbe Lord bt mrrcifitl to me; '[ cannot J4J that I find th>< m ny own S"'l, I cannot JJy tb•t it it fw,eet to me, to meditate oft be Alit r[Rt· demption.; my Soul it oftm fJyutg, what u all tint to me l Nor can I fzy tbat Ifind[Hch a fweetnefi in tbeOrdmall:uofGod '. l do >tot finJ the word of God fo fweet to nu, n•y~ft-tunes tt " very bttttr to me,anJ wound! my heart, &c. . I anfwcr, ,Jt is.not.indeed the portion.of every ~out . t~ try nfelf by this note at all titncs, for indeed to thas .c?nfolatlon It as ncce~ar- y that the Soul!hotild h:ove fome fight of Its Imereft and Unaon with Chrift; without which ( as t have often faad ) all ~ hal Chrift hath dorre and !it !fared· foo Chriftians h~11ftte general,figmfics , not bing to tbi>. or that Sotil in particular. Bht yet give me leave to add this That the :fruit of. Chrift is certainly fwcet to ·every ·particular Soul, that hath any !hare in Chrift; for thy relief. In the firll place: . . • 1. Lt t me ask you ; w.H tbr frutl ofCbr~(r never fweet t•·tby taft.? didft thou never thirtk that thou hadft tailed b~w qood the L':d ,.,,If? didll tllou never find a deligh1 in drawing nigh u1t1~ God m God~ and therefore becaufe thou.didft draw nigh to God dtdt! rake a pleafurein holy duties? . d Secondly, If thou didft e~er fo ji11d tt,know tb~t tbr hearts ofGo.~ peoplr ar. not alrr>ays of tbr fome temper ; fomcumes. they wal~ ' , ·the light, and fee no dar~ncls;.fomerimes ~hey al\am fee no !t?h'' whee the Soul is able ro dafcun ItS lnterell m Chrtfl, a~d the" ork of God upon .itfelf, then it is alway' f.weet to it to M~dil~te cf what Chrift hath done and fulfhed, and to enjoy God an hts·Or·· dinances: But when the Soul cannot difcern this, when it doubiS all, it is no wonder then if the fPuit of. C~rifl b~ not fo f\~eet to of ·believe'~ t~!le; becaufe indeed at ~h1s ttme has mouth as out ~~ . ' l . Thirdly Giv.e me-le~~e to ask thee yet one quell ion further, wt.. At this tim'e when thou art not able to comfortably to reflect upon what Chrift hath done and' fuffered as to tb{own particular con: cernment' thilt chrifls fritil 11111) b~fweet to their titflt. cernmcnt, and whe'n thou doell not find fo much fweetnefsin the Ordinances of God, as thou defirefl ; J''' it it nat r:~eet to thee to thinJtw.hat Chrifl bath donP for otberll /And canfl thou yet fur ben the Ordm•ncu of God? and !Jg[f thott not yrt a11 Mmeft deflre to be "zade partaf<tr of Chrift a11d bit bmefitr l T he Souls 1hirfl after the Ordinances of God even while it !indctb no Comfort in them, doth fignify,that the Ordin1nces ofChrill are fweet unto its talle. And the Souls rejoycing in the benefit of others by Chrill, while it cannot apprehend any benefit that it hath by him at all, doth import ~hat it hath fome hopes ( though fmaller) that it hadu lhare and Intereft in him. LafHy, The SoH!J earneft drflre to tJjie oftiJe fwert•tefi of Chrifl, snd trouble and impatience becau[t it can11ot attain what it trr</y longttb and tbir!fetb •fter, it a good evitlence that the SoH/ b.eh ta{led oftbe fru1t ofChriji; and that his fruit is fweet to the bcli<vers., ufte. But thus much is fufficient to have fpoken to this cafe. Secondly, Let what you have heard ing~ge you to an ind.avo,., after this; Tbatthefruit of Chrift may be Ja>eet to your tajlr. Give . me leave, r. To commend this ftudy and indeavour to you, and prefs ~t upon yo,u by fome Arguments. 2 . In a word or two , to direct you in it. · . 1. Let me firll.tell you that his fntit it the moft ex ·eUent fruit;., 110 fruit fo f weet tp the pallat of a rea(onable Soul art hit fruit it. He that will confider his Soul in its true notion and in its excellency, . muft confider it, 1. As r~tio'!al. 2. As Immortal, determined by God to an eternity. Now I fay fuppofing rhefe two things con~ cernlng thy Soul, there's no fr uit fo fuitable to it as the fruit cif Chrift. r. Con!iderit but as a rtafonable SoHl and the vilcnefs of all the fruit which the world beareth wilt' evidently appear. All that is in the world is th.Iuft oftheeyr, the luff of the f/r]h, an~ tbr prid~ •f life. No.w indeed thefe things gratify the outward fenfes, 'and the fenfible appetite; but what do they fignify to the rational appetil' ? to the Soul confidered but as a rcafonable Sou!> Inaeed confider th~ ~o~l thus: T he fruit of learning and ftu dy, the fruit of Moral dtfcaplme,vertue &c. bath fome fuitablenefs in it. But Secondly, Confider now the Soul as an immortal Soul appointed by God to an eterni ty, and capable of a bl~lfed eter~ity ; , nothing but the fruit ofChri{l is fuitable to it: A learned man may go to Hell, aod a vertuous man may go to He!~ only the Soul for L · whom |
