CXLV expository sermons upon the whole 17th chapter of the Gospel according to St.…

2. Dullness and slothfulness, this doth much withstand Christs operations. The Church in the Canticles, when she was lazy and pretended excuses, not letting in Christ, when he desired to come in, made her at loss, and be without his presence to her dear loss; when Christ therefore hath quickened thee by preventing grace, he hath many times knocked at the door, and there hath been no entrance, this hath greatly hindered the course and flourishing of grace.

2. Dulness and slothfulness, this doth much withstand Christs operations. The Church in the Canticles, when she was lazy and pretended excuses, not letting in Christ, when he desired to come in, made her at losse, and be without his presence to her dear loss; when Christ therefore hath quickned thee by preventing grace, he hath many times knocked at the door, and there hath been no entrance, this hath greatly hindred the course and flourishing of grace.

3. When thou givest way to any gross sin, this makes Christ with-draw, so that little appeareth of him; This is like winter to the trees, that maketh all the sap withdraw to the root, so that outwardly it appeareth a dead tree; Therefore cast away that abominable thing, and then Christ will come and work as formerly in thee.

4. Christ may live and work in thee, yet thou not be sensible and apprehensive of it. It's Christ, but thou mistakest him for something else; as to the Disciples, when Christ approached on the waters to them, he appeared to be a Spirit, at which they trembled, not thinking him to be Christ, and as Mary Magdalen thought it had been the Gardner, when it was her Lord. Thus the godly soul, though Christ at that very time doth evidently work in it, yet through black distempers doth not indeed judge Christ to be there.