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

2. This quickening spirit, is a spirit of faith; as it reveals Christ, so it inclines mens hearts to close with Christ upon those Gospel-terms, as he is offered. I know there are degrees and measures of faith, but the least measure of faith is a desiring, panting, breathing after the Lord Jesus; and no sooner hath the soul received that new light from the spirit of Christ, but it is presently, at the same instant, exceedingly affected with Jesus Christ; O it desires Christ above all desires. I know not a more undeceiving sign than this; read over the whole Bible, and where ever there was any soul-saving discoveries, there ever followed inward desires, soul-longings after Jesus Christ; when Paul preached of the resurrection of Christ, some there were that mocked, jeered, and slighted that doctrine, but others (whose heart the Lord stirred) they were exceedingly taken with it saying we will hear thee again of this matter; yea, & this very Sermon so wrought on some that they believed, among whom was Dionysius the Areopagite, & a woman named Damaris, and others with them; ¹and when he preached another Sermon on the same subject at Antioch, the Jews were much offended, but the Gentiles were so exceedingly taken with it that they besought Paul, that these words (the very same resurrection Sermon) might be preached to them the next Sabbath day. Their very hearts did so long after Christ whom Paul had preached, that when the congregation was broken up, ²many of the Jews and religious Proselytes followed Paul and Barnabas; and the next Sabbath day came almost the whole City together to hear the same Sermon. O my soul,³ dost thou hear these Sermons of Christs resurrection; dost thou hear sweet-Gospel-preaching?⁴ dost thou hear the free tenders and offers of Christ; with all his glory and excellency to poor sinners, to vile, lost, undone souls, and art thou no whit taken with them? canst thou sleep away such Sermons as these? hast thou no heart-risings, no stirrings, workings, longings, desires in thy soul? O take heed! this is a dangerous case: but on the contrary, if thou sayest in thy heart, Oh that I could hear this Sermon again! O the sweet virtues of Christs resurrection! I had not thought such honey could have dropped out of this rock; O the blessed beginnings and springings of grace which I felt in my soul on such a meditation! Oh the desire, the delight!