1 Christ must be so received as God gives him, but God gives us Christ first, in every Ordinance: when Philip preached to the Eunuch, it's said he preached Jesus to him, Act. 8.35. So in the Sacrament, you must first take and eat his flesh, and drink his blood, and then you have remission of sins, Mat. 26.26. No gift of grace but is given through Christ, if it be lively and true. Herod received joy, Jehu zeal, Ahab humiliation, but none of these received life, because they received the shell and not the kernel, the casket, and not the Pearl, the gift, but not Christ; and therefore their graces were not lively. Simon Magus believed yet had no lively faith, because Christ wanting: except we find Christ, we find no true grace, Hos. 4.8. in me is thy fruit found, without me you can do nothing, Joh. 15.5. Hence let us gather an estimate of our selves, whether we have life or not, If you have the Son, you have life, try therefore whether you labour not more for the loaves, for the benefits of Christ, then for Christ himself; if thou findest thou comest to the Ordinances rather to find Christ, then the pardon of sin, and comfort, and happiness, and salvation; if with the Church in the Canticles, thou seekest Christ and not the loaves, if thou with her inquirest ⟨p. 390⟩of the watchmen, where thou mayst find him whom thy soul loveth, if we thus affect Christ, we have the Son, we could never have sought him thus, if he had not first sought us: but è contra, if we have longing desires after pardon of sin, and after grace and salvation, those desires indeed are ordinarily sincere, but there may be an Harlots affection in them; as an Harlot seeks her an husband not for his persons sake, but for his goods sake, that her debts may be paid, and that she may be a sharer in his wealth, now she seeks him not for his ends, but for her own: so if a man shall desire Christ, that he may have his sins pardoned, and his conscience pacified, and seek not Christ himself; why, this is but an whorish affection; whereas one that loves her husband, she will have him though she have but the bare man, though she beg with him; so one that truly loves Christ, he would be glad and think himself happy to have him, though he should never see good day after, never find peace or quiet after, Whom have I in heaven but thee, and there is nothing on earth, that I desire in comparison of thee.
1 Christ must be so received as God gives him, but God gives us Christ first, in every Ordinance: when Philip preached to the Eunuch, it's said he preached Jesus to him, Act. 8.35. So in the Sacrament, you must first take and eat his flesh, and drink his blood, and then you have remission of sins, Mat. 26.26. No gift of grace but is given through Christ, if it be lively and true. Herod received joy, Jehu zeal, Ahab humiliation, but none of these received life, because they received the shell and not the kernel, the casket, and not the Pearl, the gift, but not Christ; and therefore their graces were not lively. Simon Magus believed yet had no lively faith, because Christ wanting: except we find Christ, we find no true grace, Hos. 4.8. in me is thy fruit found, without me you can doe nothing, Joh. 15.5. Hence let us gather an estimate of our selves, whether we have life or not, If you have the Son, you have life, try therefore whether you labour not more for the loaves, for the benefits of Christ, then for Christ himself; if thou findest thou comest to the Ordinances rather to find Christ, then the pardon of sin, and comfort, and happinesse, and salvation; if with the Church in the Canticles, thou seekest Christ and not the loaves, if thou with her inquirest ⟨p. 390⟩of the watchmen, where thou mayst find him whom thy soul loveth, if we thus affect Christ, we have the Son, we could never have sought him thus, if he had not first sought us: but è contra, if we have longing desires after pardon of sin, and after grace and salvation, those desires indeed are ordinarily sincere, but there may be an Harlots affection in them; as an Harlot seeks her an husband not for his persons sake, but for his goods sake, that her debts may be paid, and that she may be a sharer in his wealth, now she seeks him not for his ends, but for her own: so if a man shall desire Christ, that he may have his sins pardoned, and his conscience pacified, and seek not Christ himself; why, this is but an whorish affection; whereas one that loves her husband, she will have him though she have but the bare man, though she begge with him; so one that truly loves Christ, he would be glad and think himselfe happy to have him, though he should never see good day after, never find peace or quiet after, Whom have I in heaven but thee, and there is nothing on earth, that I desire in comparison of thee.
