There is a mutual feasting betwixt Christ and his church, . 30 Resemblances betwixt corporal feasts and the feast Chi'ist maketh
us of himself, ...... 30-32
What we should bring with us to the feast Christ makes us, . 32
The means to procure an appetite to Christ, . . . 32, 33 All kinds and degrees of friendship meet in Christ towards his
church, ....... 33, 34
All the requisites to make up true friendship are found in Christ, 34, 35
Friendship of Christ is sweet and constant, ... 35 The state of the church and every Christian is subject to spiritual
alterations, ...... 35, 36
Where corruption is not thoroughly purged and a careful watch kept over the soul, thereafter a recovery, will follow a more
dangerous distemper, ..... 36
It is the disposition of God's childi'en to be ingenuous in open- ing their state to God, . • . . . B6, 37
CONTENTS.
Til
Page
A gracious soul is abased for lesser defects, ... 37
What meant by the sleep of the church, ... 88 The resemblances between bodily and spiritual sleep in their
causes, effects, and dangers, .... 39, 40
Secui'ity and sleepiness of the church in Constantine's time, . 40
The judgments of best men cannot always be safely relied on, 41
Sleepiness of the church in these latter ages, ... 41
Signs of a sleepy estate, ..... 41,42
Motives against sleepiness, ..... 42, 43 A Christian may know how it is with himself, though he be mixed
with flesh and spirit, ..... 44, 45 We should as well acknowledge that which is good, as that
which is evil in our hearts, . . . . 45
The good that the church retained in her sleepy condition, . 45, 46
God's children never totally fall from grace, ... 47
A Christian is what his heart and inward man is, . . 47,48
Difference between a Christian and an hypocrite, . . 48
A waking state is a blessed state, .... 49 Means how to preserve om- souls in a waking condition in
drowsy times, ...... 49—52
Christians must especially be watchful in the use of liberty and
such things as in themselves are lawful, ... 52
The excellency of a waking Chi'istian, . . . 52, 53 True Christians are discerned by a spiritual taste in hearing
God's word, ...... 54
Papists' objection, how shall we know that the word is the word
of God, answered, ..... 54, 55
Why so many apostatise, . . . . . 55
A Christian is sensible of all theblessed helps he hath to salvation, 55, 56 The difference between the sleep of a Christian and dead sleep
of natural men, ...... 56
Christ still desires a further and fm'ther communion with his
church, ....... 56
The cause of Christ's strangeness to us is in ourselves, . 56, 67 Christ takes not advantage from the sins of the church to leave
them altogether, but makes further and further love to them, 67
How Chi'ist is said to knock at our hearts, . . . 58-60
Why Christ knocks when he hath power to open to himself, . 60, 61
The heart of a Christian is the house and temple of God, . 62
How Christ can come into the soul, .... 62
How we may know whether Clnist dwells in our hearts, . 62
We are to cherish all the good conceits we can of Christ, . 62, 63 The woful estate of those who entertain not Christ knocking
at the door of their hearts, .... 63
That Christ hath used all kinds of knockings to this nation, . 64
Considerations enforcing us to entertain Christ . . 65
That Christ's knocking is especially by the ministry of the word, 66 There are none in the church but have been allured at some
time or other to come in, . . . . . 66, 67
Encouragement to pray for the church, ... 67
Christ hath never enough of his church till he hath it in heaven, 68
The sufferings of Christ in himself and ministers, . , 68, 69
U CONTENTS.
Page Christ's patience to us should make us patient under God's
corrections, and in our deaUngs with others, . . 69
The church of God is Christ's sister and spouse, . . 69, 7(1
The grounds of Christ's special love to his church and childi'en, 70
No saving love out of the church, . . . . 71
Properties of Christ's love to his church, . . . 71 Whether Christ cannot see matter of weakness and sinfulness
in his church, ,..,.. 72
How to know Christ loves us in a peculiar manner, . . 72, 73
Reproof of those who love not God's children, . . 73, 74
Why Christ calls his church his love, ... 74 An argument to prove the stability of the saints, and the soul's
immortality, . . . . . . 75
How transcendent majesty and infinite love dwelt together in
Christ, . . . . . . . 75, 76
Why the Holy Ghost appeared in the shape of a dove at Christ's
baptism, ....... 76
Church, why compared to a dove, .... 76
Properties of a dove resembled to the church, . . 76—78
What defence God's church hath when it is persecuted, . 79
That God's church hath always a refuge in God in the worst times, 79