The devotion of these men consists in ⟨p. 615⟩admiring, prizing, valuing the person of Christ. This is that Evangelical Righteousness, we must gain by Duties; more prizing of acquaintance with, desire, loving and delighting in Union with the Lord Jesus Christ; a Moral man, who rests in duties (that is, who does what God commands and expects to be saved by Christ) may grow in legal Righteousness; that is, in true Holiness and Piety: But this will not avail, unless we grow in this Evangelical Righteousness:1 This is the great end of Duties, to carry us to the Lord Jesus. Hear a Sermon to carry thee to Christ; fast, pray, get a full tide of affections in them, to carry thee to Christ; that is, to get more Love of him, more Acquaintance and Union with him; sorrow for sins, that thou mayst be more fitted for Christ, and more prize Christ; use thy Duties, as Noah's Dove did her wings, to carry thee to the Ark of the Lord Jesus: As it is with a poor man, that is to go over a great water for a treasure on the other side, though he cannot fetch the boat, he calls for it, to carry him over to the treasure: So Christ is in Heaven, and thou on Earth: He doth not come to thee, thou canst not go to ⟨p. 616⟩him: Now call for a Boat, though there is no Grace, no Good, no Salvation in a pithless duty; yet use it to carry thee over to the Lord Christ; when thou comest to hear, say, have over Lord by this Sermon; when to pray, say, have over Lord by this Prayer to a Saviour, &c. So that it seems the whole business of our Love to Christ and Evangelical Righteousness, consists in some flights of fancy and imagination, in admiring and valuing the person of Christ, in getting an acquaintance and union with him: The business of all Religion is, to have over to Christ, that we may love and prize his Person, and personal Righteousness, above all things in the World. It is not so much the business of Sermons to acquaint us with the Nature, Attributes and Works of God, to instruct us in our Duty, and encourage us to it by the Motives of the Gospel, as to have over to Christ: The design of prayer is not so much to affect our Souls with a sense of the Divine Majesty, to worship and adore him, and to express our trust in him, as to have over to Christ. Sorrow for sin is not so much to embitter sin to us, and to strengthen us against it, as to teach us to prize Christ:
The devotion of these men consists in ⟨p. 615⟩admiring, prizing, valuing the person of Christ. This is that Evangelical Righteousness, we must gain by Duties; more prizing of acquaintance with, defire, loving and delighting in Union with the Lord Jesus Christ; a Moral man, who rests in duties (that is, who does what God commands and expects to be saved by Christ) may grow in legal Righteousness; that is, in true Holiness and Piety: But this will not avail, unless we grow in this Evangelical Righteousness:1 This is the great end of Duties, to carry us to the Lord Jesus. Hear a Sermon to carry thee to Christ; fast, pray, get a full tide of affections in them, to carry thee to Christ; that is, to get more Love of him, more Acquaintance and Union with him; sorrow for sins, that thou mayst be more fitted for Christ, and more prize Christ; use thy Duties, as Noah's Dove did her wings, to carry thee to the Ark of the Lord Jesus: As it is with a poor man, that is to go over a great water for a treasure on the other side, though he cannot fetch the boat, he calls for it, to carry him over to the treasure: So Christ is in Heaven, and thou on Earth: He doth not come to thee, thou canst not go to ⟨p. 616⟩him: Now call for a Boat, though there is no Grace, no Good, no Salvation in a pithless duty; yet use it to catry thee over to the Lord Christ; when thou comest to hear, say, have over Lord by this Sermon; when to pray, say, have over Lord by this Prayer to a Saviour, &c. So that it seems the whole business of our Love to Christ and Evangelical Righteousness, consists in some flights of fancy and imagination, in admiring and valuing the person of Christ, in getting an acquaintance and union with him: The business of all Religion is, to have over to Christ, that we may love and prize his Person, and personal Righteousness, above all things in the World. It is not so much the business of Sermons to acquaint us with the Nature, Attributes and Works of God, to instruct us in our Duty, and encourage us to it by the Motives of the Gospel, as to have over to Christ: The design of prayer is not so much to affect our Souls with a sense of the Divine Majesty, to worship and adore him, and to express our trust in him, as to have over to Christ. Sorrow for sin is not so much to imbitter sin to us, and to strengthen us against it, as to teach us to prize Christ:
- 1Sincere Convert.
