Again, secondly. We may know that we have tasted Christ, and fed on him, and on the good things that are by him, when we are strengthened by our feeding ; when U'e are strengthened to duties ; strengthened against tenta- tions* and against corruptions. Thou sayest thou believest on Christ, and hast made him thine own ; what comfort and strength feelest thou by Christ ? Art thou able to encounter a tentation ? Art thou able to resist a lust ? Art thou able to perform holy services ? If there be no strength in thee, but every tentation turns thee over, and thou yieldest to every base lust, where is Christ ? Canst thou believe Christ to be thy King, and yet sufier thy lusts to bear sway in thee ? Canst thou beheve that Christ is a priest that died for thy sins, and yet cherishest and lovest sin ? Canst thou believe that Christ is in heaven, and that thou art in heavenly places with Christ, and yet hast no mind of heavenly things, but art carried away with every earthly thing? No. Thou hast not yet tasted how/good and gracious the Lord is ; thou hast not relished the heavenly manna. The * That is, ' temptations.' — G.
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870 THE FRUITFUL LABOUR
soul that feeds on Christ is strengthened from spiritual reasons, and super- natural grounds, and divine principles drawn from Christ, to duty, so that it is enabled even with a holy violence to do anything for Christ's sake ; for the soul reasons thus : Christ gave himself to death for me ; I will therefore, if need bo, give myself to death for him. Christ thought nothing too dear for me, I will think nothing too dear for him. This pride, this vanity that I am tempted to, these were the spears that were the death of my Saviour. Thus the soul fetches reasons from the death of Christ to strengthen it against temptations, to strengthen it to duty ; and 60 for the matter of comfort. After meat hath been received we are refreshed. If the soul be sweetly refreshed with the comforts that are to be had in Christ, and in the word of Christ, it is a sign we have tasted Christ. Those that have trembling and discouraging hearts and souls, that cannot rest nor receive comfort, it is a sign they have not rightly tasted Christ. 'Come unto me,' saith Christ, ' all ye that are weary and heavy laden, and ye shall find rest to your souls,' Mat. xi. 28. In Christ there is rest, out of Christ there is no rest. And so likewise those that have corruptions bearing sway in them. It is a sign they have not so much as touched Christ, for if they had but touched Christ, he would stop the issue of their corruptions. The poor woman in the gospel, as soon as she had touched Christ, her bloody issue was stayed ; so, upon the least touch of Christ by faith, there will be an abating of corruption.
Thirdly, In the bodily life, we know after a good meal the desire and appetite is satisfied, so the soul that tastes of Christ, it hath sweet satisfac- tion and contentment. Oh the sweet satisfaction that a Christian soul hath above a heathen ! A Christian, that hath Christ, need not go out of him for anything. It hath fulness and satisfaction in him in all estates, both in life and in death. Dost thou find Christ, and the privileges and preroga- tives we have by him ; dost thou find the w^ord of Christ and the promises of the word fully and sufficiently satisfy thee ? Then it argues that thou hast fed on Christ ; for Christ being received by faith into the soul, gives it fulness and contentment.
Lastly, To name no more, as men, if they have the grace of God in their hearts, uill f/ire thanks for their bodilij food, so it is an evidence that we have fed on Christ, when our hearts and tongues are enlarged to praise God for Christ, for the comforts, and contentment, and satisfaction that we find in him and in religion. Therefore St Paul begins his epistle to the Ephesians with 'Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ,' Eph. i. 3. And St Peter, being led by the same blessed Spirit, his heart being full, his mouth is full of thanks : * Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath begotten us again to an inheritance immortal, that fadeth not away, reserved for you in the heavens,' 1 Peter i. 4, for you that are reserved by faith to salvation. So, undoubtedly, the soul that tastes the sweet comforts of religion in Christ will be much in sweet en- largements of heart in thanksgiving. It cannot be otherwise. It is an universal reason. The more believing a soul is, the more thankful a soul is. Where there is no praise, there is no faith.
Thus you see how we may try whether we have tasted and relished, ■whether we have fed upon ' the food that endures to everlasting life ' or no.