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

8. God and Christ entered into Covenant concerning our salvation: So must we enter into Covenant with him; we must take him to be our God, and give up our selves to be his people: — Why thus we must in all particulars conform to Christ. The sum of all is this, we must be like Christ in grace, and gracious actings.

O my soul, see to this grace, see to this conformity to Jesus Christ in gracious actings, and this will enable thee to read thy name written in the Book of Life. O abhor, & repel that Devils dart, I am predestinated, and therefore I may live as I list; how contrary is this to the Apostle,¹ he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the World, that we should be holy, and without blame before him in love? and as the Elect of God put on bowels of mercy, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering, forgiving one another, —Even as Christ forgave you? this conformity to Christ in grace is the very effect of our predestination:² O look unto Jesus, and be in grace like unto Jesus: why, Christ is full of grace, a vessel filled up to the lip, or very brim, thou art fairer than the children of men, and grace is poured into thy lips. Christ was as it were grace speaking, Luk 4.22. Grace sighing, weeping, dying, Heb. 2.9. Grace living again, and now dropping, or rather raining down floods of grace on his living members, Ephes. 4.11. Christ is the great Apple-tree, dropping down Apples of Life, Cant. 2.3. and all that falls from this tree, as apples, leaves, shadows, smell, blossoms, are but pieces of grace fallen down from him, who is the fullness of all,³ and hath filled all things. Christ is the rose of Sharon, and every leaf of this rose is an Heaven; every white and red in it is grace and glory, every act of breathing out it's smell from everlasting to everlasting is Spotless and unmixed grace; why then my soul, if thou wilt conform to Christ, conform in this: Be holy as he is holy;