Riches of mercy to men in misery, or, Certain excellent treatises concerning the dignity…

I answer, that it is not: but it is a great privilege to ¹have Christ govern in us: for he is not as those governors that govern for themselves; but he hath the property of a good governor, that spendeth his sweetness for the good of those, over whom he is a governor. And this you will see if you consider what a government it is. For it freeth you from the government of other Lords: from the government that your lusts have over you, Again he governeth not as a Tyrant, by force, but as the soul governeth the members without difficulty. Now as it is said of the Members, that while they serve and obey the soul, That ⟨p. 128⟩very labour is a rest, and that obedience is a liberty: even so the soul when it obeyeth Christ, that is indeed a liberty, and that service is rest, the reason is, because Christ guideth them sweetly in whom he dwelleth: all the members are guided by the soul with a willing resignation, so that from an inward propenseness, not from constraint, they do what they will: it is therefore an easy government. Again when any thing is made obedient to what is the proper rule of it, it is the better for it: for therein the perfection of every creature lieth, when the Creature hath a Law given it, according to which if it work, it is in the best condition. Now God himself & the law is the rule to which every man should conform, therefore the creature is best, when it is in obedience to him; even as is the body of man, when it is best governed, and kept closest to the rule, it is best in health: ²so it is in the soul of a man, the better it is governed, the more obedient it is to Christ, the better it is in health: for every rebellion is a sickness and disturbance to the foul: Therefore you have a great benefit, when Christ dwelleth in your hearts as a King; If it were not for that my Brethren, whether would your unruly affections carry you? how would those rebels wound you? how would they rob you of all that that is good? those foolish and hurtful lusts that are in you, how would they drown you in perdition? Now when Christ dwelleth in the heart, he keepeth down these lusts, keepeth the soul in good temper, guideth our feet into the way of peace: our feet of themselves would be running into miseries and dangers, his government keepeth us out of these: This is his government, and this is the second benefit that we have by Christ his dwelling in us.