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

labour thus to have recourse to Christ, it is he that must quicken and enliven us, or else we are but dead men.

Secondly, If Christ live in the Saints, then let them ¹know what priviled •e they have, and triumph, and rejoice in it. It is good for us (my Brethren) often to reflect upon these spiritual privileges: remember now that you have Christ in you, that must be a great advantage to you. When Moses was to go up with the people into the promised Land, he would not be content with •n ²Angel, but he would have Gods own presence, God yieldeth to his opportunity. You see by that how much Moses esteemed of Gods presence: know therefore that ⟨p. 140⟩it is a great benefit to have the presence of Christ in the soul, learn to esteem it so; it bringeth much comfort, and another kind of comfort then any other creature can bring. Again, consider if Christ dwell in you, you are made living Temples, in the 1 Pet. 2. 4, 5. Ye as living stones are built up a spiritual house, a holy Priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifice acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. They were dead stones, and dead Temples before; and this is a great privilege, for we have all the benefits that the Temple had: no sacrifice you know was accepted but from the Temple, no prayer was accepted but what came from the Temple, or directed towards the Temple. So it is with the Saints, all their prayers are accepted, because Christ dwelleth in them, and they are his spiritual Temples to offer up spiritual sacrifice acceptable to God through Christ, it is peculiar to them alone; others may pray and hear the Word, and do some other outward duties of Religion, but they are not acceptable, because they are not Temples of Christ. Consider this (my Brethren) and rest not in your outward performances, nor privileges: labour to have the assurance of being the Temples of God, it is that which makes your sacrifice accepted. This confuseth the common error, men think they may satisfy their lusts, &c. and yet if they pray morning and evening, receive the Sacrament at least once in the year, and do some other outward performances, they think they make God some amends. But alas it is not so, the Lord abhorreth all those sacrifices, because they come not from his Temple.