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

We must add something now for the application of ¹this point; and first, you may make this use of it. Learn to judge aright of the works of God in your hearts, and remember that it is wrought by Christ himself. It is Christ himself that is in you, that consulteth with you, that acts in you, that enliveneth you to every duty, he himself is given us of God, to be our wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption; it is he himself that ²will come in and sup with us, Rev. 3. And therefore if you would have a great measure of grace, a great measure of comfort and refreshing, if you would feel the life of grace flowing abundantly in your hearts, fasten your eyes upon Christ the fountain. This is our fault (my Brethren) that we look upon grace, and remission of sins, and sanctification, separated from Christ, we labour not for Christ in the first place, we look upon pardon for sin, we go unto God for it, but we think not upon Christ; learn first to get Christ to dwell in your hearts, fasten your eyes upon him, entreat him to come thither and sup with you, and ⟨p. 136⟩then take from him justification and sanctification, the spirit and every grace. For so it is, as when a wife marrieth a husband, she must not think of the titles, honours and commodities that he bringeth separately from ³himself, for then it is an adulterous thought, she must first take her husband, and then those other things come along with him: so must we do with Christ, fasten our eyes upon Christ himself, love him, cleave to him, labour to have our heart• married to him by faith, then we have remission of sins, then we have adoption, then we have reconciliation with God, and every particular grace coming along with him. Even as if a man would have a treasure that lieth hid in a field, he must first have the field it self, and then he ⁴may take the treasure; he must not think of the treasure as of a thing abstracted from the field, even so, thou must get Christ, for in him are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge, and of his fullness, we receive grace for grace. But this is our hinderance, that we look upon these things separately and apart from Christ. But let us remember that it is Christ that dwelleth in our hearts, and although indeed it is by his spirit, yet it is he himself that is the fountain of all; get Christ therefore more and more into your hearts;