Looking unto Jesus a view of the everlasting gospel, or, the souls eying of…

4 Consider Christs first manifestations by his several Witnesses; we have heard of his Witnesses from Heaven, the Father, Son, and holy Ghost; and of his Witnesses on Earth, the Baptist, his Disciples, and the works that he did in his Fathers Name? and all these Witnesses being lively held forth in the preaching of the Gospel, they are Witnesses to us; even to this day is Christ manifested to us, yea and if we are Christs, even to this day is Christ manifested within us. O my soul, consider this above all the rest! O it is this manifestation within, that concerns thee most, because ye are Sons, ¹God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts; if Christ be not manifested in thy heart by his blessed Spirit, thou art no Son of God; and therefore the Apostles puts thee seriously on this trial, Examine yourselves whether ye be in the Faith, prove your selves, know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus Christ in you, ²except ye be reprobates? Is Christ manifested in thee? surely this is more than Christ manifested to thee; the bare history is the manifestation of Christ unto thee, but there's a mystery in the inward manifestation. The Apostle speaking of the Saints, he adds,³ To whom God would make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is, Christ in you the hope of glory. O the Riches of the Glory of this mystery! consider it, Oh my soul; God might have shut thee up in blindness with the world, or he might only have given thee parts and gifts; or at most he might have enlightened thy reason, to have taken in the outward notions of the Gospel; but hath he revealed Christ in thee? hath he let thee see into the wonders of his Glory; hath he given thee the light of his Glory within? Oh this argues the witness of Christs Spirit! this only the experimental Christian feels: Chrysostom sometimes speaking of the more hidden, and choice principles of Christianity, he useth this phrase, Sciunt initiati quid dico, those that are initiated or admitted into our mysteries, know what I mean: so may the ⟨p. 210⟩Ministers of Christ Preaching of these inward Manifestations, say, Sciunt initiaty, &c. it is only the Spiritual man can know these things, for they are spiritually discerned. O my soul, meditate on this until thou feelest Gods Spirit working in thy Spirit these inward Gracious, Glorious manifestations.