And therefoi'e if you ask. What doth the soul first to make Christ his own ? It is this. In the use of means, wherewith God pleaseth to be effectual, a light is by the Spirit let into the soul, whereby the heart is persuaded that he hath a good meaning towards it, that he is a gracious Lord, and will forgive the sins of all that rely upon him. And with the acknowledging of these truths, together with the offer of mercy in Christ, there is so much sweetness let into the soul as carricth the soul back again to Christ to rest upon him. For unless Christ begin in some degree to make love to the soul, and giveth a taste of his sweetness, we cannot rely upon him nor love him, not only because we are creatures, and he is first and must begin to us, but because it is the nature of a guilty soul, when it is under terror
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and awakened, to forecast sucli doubts, that till Christ lettetli in some glimpse of his love, the sonl dare not look Christ in the face.
Now in the unfolding of these divine truths of the gospel, some intima- tions are given ' that Christ is mine, and I am Christ's,' which afterward becometh the claim of an experienced Christian. This therefore directeth what course they shall take to get Christ that want him. They must attend upon the blessed means of salvation, and then consider how far forth they may lay claim to Christ.
For, first, all that live in the church are Christ's in some degree. God hath prevented* men with his love in admitting them to the visible church, and there is an obligation on them to think well of Christ for that, because he had care of them before they had care of themselves, by vouchsafing them the seal of baptism, and making them members of the visible church.
Secondly, Unless they labour, being come to years of discretion, to feel a further assurance that Christ is theirs, they disannul and deny their baptism ; and therefore it is good for such souls as are touched with sight of sin to gather upon Christ, and to wind about all helps they can to work on Christ, as the vine gathereth on the tree it windeth about. I am born in the church, I have been baptized, lived in times of the gospel, have opportunities to hear the blessed truths, and therefore I w'ill have good conceits of Christ that he meaneth well to my soul.
Indeed, a company oi wretches that rest in their baptism, being profane swearers, vile persons, abusers of their calling or anything, can say, Ai'e not we baptized ? and do not we come to church ? But they forget that this is an obligation on them to be good, and no excuse for them to be evil. It tieth thee to renounce that thou livest in, else thou deuiesi thy baptism.
We must know, beloved, that Christ loved us, not as we love a goodly pillar or other curious piece of art that cannot love us again, but the inter- course between God and man is mutual. If he say he is ours, we say again, I am thine. Lord, and give myself to thee ; and the claim is mutual. He claimeth us for his, and we claim him for ours ; for he deals with reasonable creatures, that can enter into covenant with him as friends. We must therefore give up all to God. If God be God, let us own him. And as we cannot serve Christ and sin, we cannot serve Christ and antichrist ; we cannot comply with Christ and his enemies. Those that have the mark of the beast absolutely cannot be Christ's, nor have communion with him, but are enemies to Christ, though under pretence of religion. But where a man is truly Christ's, he is none but Christ's ; Satan is content with any part, but Christ must have the whole heart.
God's children have something in them that usurpeth, some corruption in them which is not absolutely removed, but it is l)ut a rebel, and they have an enemy's mind to it ; all that is contrary to Christ is renounced ; whereas in them that be carnal sin is as a lord, but in God's children it is as a thief. He is there, yet they own him not, but get strength against him. He ruleth not^there but as a tyrant. There is a renunciation of lordship and dominion of sin. Though they have inclinations to this and that sin, yet they have no liking to that liking, no inclinations as spiritual to that inclination as carnal, but make it an object of mortification. They renounce all other lords ; when all other men, that have not the Spirit of Christ, are under the dominion of some reigning lusts.
And as it implieth a possession, so likewise an estimation; as God esteemeth us, so we esteem him above all. And therefore God calleth his * That is, ' gone before ' = ' anticipated.' — G.
818 THE christian's end.
church his portion, his jewel ; and wo call Christ our portion, our treasure, our pearl, our all. St Paul counts ' all dung and dross in comparison of the excellent knowledge of Christ,' Phil. iii. 8. And all that belongoth to Christ he esteemcth. And therefore the church glorieth that God is their God, and makes claim to him as St Paul, ' I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me,' Gal. ii. 20. And as Thomas, ' My Lord, and my God,' John xx. 28. This is the best evidence of a true Christian, whose estate is no way known better than by his esti- mation. ' Whom have I in heaven but thee, or in earth in comparison of thee ?' saith David, Ps. Ixxiii. 25.