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

Again, the cleaner you keep your heart, the more will he delight to dwell in you, a man that is of a neat disposition, loveth not to be in a soul place; so Christ abhorreth to dwell in a heart that is •oul and unclean, the more clean therefore you keep your heart from Rebellions and unruly lusts, and the more you are free from any kind of vanity, and the more you grow up in holiness, the more will Christ delight to dwell in your heart.

Again, the larger spirit a man getteth, and the stronger he is in the inward man, These are the means whereby you may get Christ to dwell in your hearts; and the more humble and contrite spirit you are of, the nearer you draw unto him; the wider ye open the doors when he knocks, the less you live to your selves; the cleaner you keep you heart, the stronger you are in the inward man: why then the more you shall have Christ governing you, the more you shall have him putting his glory upon you; the more you shall find him comforting and refreshing your hearts, the more you shall find him quickening you to every good work; the more he will defend you, the more he will consecrate you: But still remember that it is Christ that doth all, when you do any holy duty, when you have any strength to perform any thing that is of any special moment, it is Christ that dwelleth in you, that acteth in you; as the Apostle saith, it is Christ that liveth in me; that is, if you see any holiness in me, if you see me excelling others in grace, if you see me doing great ⟨p. 139⟩and strong actions of Religion, it is not I that do it but Christ that liveth in me, it is he that strengtheneth me; therefore for a man to think to live the life of grace without Christ, is as if a man should think to live a natural life without a soul, no wonder therefore that you cannot abstain from such and such a lust, that you cannot pray, that you cannot sanctify the Sabbath; no wonder, seeing you want Christ, no man else can do it. Sampson, when God was departed from him, became as another man; the reason why he did such marvellous things, above the reach of other men, was because God was with him; the reason why the Saints do so much, is because God is in them, he liveth in them, he enableth them to do all that they do; therefore if you find your selves as common men as other men, not able to do peculiar things, not able to reach that pitch of holiness which God requireth, and is expressed in the lives of the Saints; know that the reason is, because you have not Christ: remember that it is Christ that doth all, and therefore in all the things that you do, if you find your selves at a dead lift, if you be unable to do a holy duty, labour to sigh for Jesus Christ; say, Lord I can do nothing without thee, it is thou that must enable me to every good work, I cannot so much as think a good thought without thee: