4. Upon this call the whole soul comes out of it self to Christ; for if a man could climb the clouds, and unlock the doors of heaven, and come Elijah like in his body to Christ, he might miss of Christ, as well as those that came and followed Christ for a time with their bodies while he lived on the earth; a man may come to Christ with half his soul or heart, there may be some hope, and some d•••res, ⟨p. 307⟩some love, and some cleaving to him, and choice of him really, inwardly, and yet not savingly, because the whole soul is no• here come, but half of it, James 1. 7, 8. Now the whole soul then comes, when all the affections and will take their flight to the Lord, and fasten there. When all the affections are gathered from all other things and changed, and so they come to, and embrace the Lord; so that hope wait• only here, when will the Lord pity me? Desires that were set on a thousand things before, all long after him, love only tasteth him; the Lord letting in some sight of the freeness of mercy, hope looks out hither; the Lord showing the want, but the way to it, desire breaks down stone-walls, and all means, and the difficulty of them, to have him: The Lord letting the soul taste the sweetness of Jesus and his grace, the soul joys, and love embraceth, and the will fosters; a carnal heart desires, loves, joys in other things, and the Lord also, and so hath a false heart. But the whole heart comes hither▪ and when 'tis here, thinks one heart too little, nay one life, one soul, and when any part of the affections are le•t any where else, then the soul mourns, hates that bondage, is ashamed of it, &c. So that the stream of the whole soul runs now hither, Psal. 119. 2. Jer. 3. 10. Psal. 45. 10. So 'tis with the soul, as with them when they were to come out of Egypt, they would not leave child, nor hoof behind, lest there should be any occasion of return; it is with the soul departed from the body, it only minds the Lord, it hath taken leave of all; so by Faith the whole soul leaves all, and comes to the Lord; otherwise the soul is not come to Christ, but reacheth after Christ; like men that waded after the Ark, but perished in the waters: Their arms are not long enough, their desires and love are not long enough to reach Christ, the […] and stream of the soul is set and runs here.
4. Upon this call the whole soul comes out of it self to Christ; for if a man could climbe the clouds, and unlock the doors of heaven, and come Elias like in his body to Christ, he might miss of Christ, as well as those that came and followed Christ for a time with their bodies while he lived on the earth; a man may come to Christ with half his soul or heart, there may be some hope, and some d•••res, ⟨p. 307⟩some love, and some cleaving to him, and choice of him really, inwardly, and yet not savingly, because the whole soul is no• here come, but half of it, Iames 1. 7, 8. Now the whole soul then comes, when all the affections and will take their flight to the Lord, and fasten there. When all the affections are gathered from all other things and changed, and so they come to, and embr•ce the Lord; so that hope wait• only here, when will the Lord pitty me? Desires that were set on a thousand things before, all long after him, love only taste•h him; the Lord letting in some sight of the freeness of mercy, hope looks out hither; the Lord shewing the want, but the way to it, desire breaks down stone-walls, and all means, and the difficulty of them, to have him: The Lord letting the soul tast the sweetness of Jesus and his grace, the soul joys, and love imbraceth, and the will fosters; a carnal heart desires, loves, joyes in other things, and the Lord also, and so hath a false heart. But the whole heart comes hither▪ and when 'tis here, thinks one heart too little, nay one life, one soul, and when any part of the affections are le•t any where else, then the soul mourns, hates that bondage, is ashamed of it, &c. So that the stream of the whole soul runs now hither, Psal. 119. 2. Ier. 3. 10. Psal. 45. 10. So 'tis with the soul, as with them when they were to come out of Egyp•, they would not leave childe, nor hoof behinde, lest there should be any occasion of return; it is with the soul departed from the body, it only minds the Lord, it hath taken leave of all; so by Faith the whole soul leaves all, and comes to the Lord; otherwise the soul is not come to Christ, but reacheth after Christ; like men that waded after the Ark, but perished in the waters: Their arms are not long enough, their desires and love are not long enough to reach Christ, the and stream of the soul is set and runs here.
