ward things. But if Christ be in you of a truth; why should you not be contented with your condition whatever it be, yea, thankful for it, yea, thankful in proportion.

If Christ be in you of a truth, then why should you not venture upon any work or service for God, although it do lie beyond you, and beyond your strength, and expect large and great things from him? You say, sometimes, you would do such or such a thing for God; but you have no strength to do it. But if Christ be in you of a truth, and really united unto your soul, then surely you shall have strength enough, and you may expect large and great things from him. Therefore, venture upon work and service for God; yea, although they do lie beyond your present strength, be not unwilling thereunto, but expect great things from God, because Christ is really in you.

To end all, be exhorted to get a share in this great mercy that I have been speaking of, this in-being of Christ in the soul. It may be there are some, that can say, I have none of Christ in my soul, and I may speak truly; some that can say, I have an unclean heart within me, but I have no Christ within me; I have a wanton heart within me, but I have no Christ within me yet; I have a proud heart within me, but I have no Christ within me yet; I have a worldly heart within me, but I have no Christ within me yet; I have a blaspheming heart within me, but I have no Christ within me; I have a lying and deceitful heart within me, but I have no Christ within me to this day; Lord, I have no Christ within me, what shall I do? Others, it may be, that have indeed Christ within them, and they can say, Lord, I hope that I have Christ within me; but I do not find that I have room enough in my heart for such a guest: Lord, my soul is not enlarged enough for such a guest as Christ is; Lord, my soul is a poor narrow room, oh! that my soul were more enlarged: what shall I do to get my soul enlarged to give entertainment to such a guest as Christ is ?

I shall speak to ye both from one Scripture, turn ye both to the xviith of John, and the last verse, says our Lord and Saviour Christ praying unto his Father, "And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me, may be in them, and I in them." Mind the words. Here are these three things ob

servable in them. First of all, Here ye have this doctrine that I have been speaking of all this while, Christ in each believer: "I in them." Secondly, That God the Father does love a believer, though not so much as Christ, yet with the same love that he loveth Christ: "That the love wherewith thou hast loved me, may be in them, and I in them." Thirdly, That the way to procure this love, and this in-being is, to have the name of God declared: "And I have declared unto them thy name, and I will declare it." Why? "That the love wherewith thou hast loved me, may be in them, and I in them." So, then, the way for to get this in-being is, to have the name of God declared unto poor souls. What is this name, the name of God the Father that Christ declares? It was the love of God; his free grace and love. Says Christ, "God so loved the world," &c., John iii. 16; and still Christ preached the love of God to poor lost man. This was the name of God that is declared. Now, then, do any of your souls complain, that you want this in-being of Christ in you; or that you have not room in your souls to entertain such a guest? Observe, where this name of God is declared and manifested, this free love of God is manifested and declared; and there set thy soul under the spout, under the declaration, under the manifestation of the name of God, and look upon it, as if Christ were there preaching and declaring the name of God to thy soul, and there Christ shall come in unto thee, and there thy poor narrowed and straitened soul shall be enlarged, and made more capacious for Jesus Christ.

Wherefore I beseech you, then, receive this word of exhortation; and let every soul go unto Jesus Christ, and say to this purpose: Lord Jesus, thy work is to declare the name of the Father to poor sinners, that so thou mayest be in them; now, O Lord, I am a poor sinner, Lord, declare the name of the Father to me; Lord, declare the name of the Father to me. I have a straitened heart, I have not room enough for thee in my soul; oh that it were enlarged for thee! now, therefore, declare this name of thy Father to me, that so the love wherewith thy Father hath loved thee, may be in me, and I in thee also. Thus, I say, go unto Jesus Christ. And study, study much this in-being of Christ in your souls: you that have it not, labour to get it; and you

I ISTESD at this Christ Kreth in me

time to speak to these words, - Ba wherein ye have these three things:

1. The in-being of Carias in a believer: Chris in ze II. The acy of this in-being: “ Christ Breth i ze.” IIL The constancy thereof; he doth not stay for a night or two, but he liveth, or abideth in me.

Accordingly there are three notes or observations.

L. Christ is in each bellever Christ is in every christian. For when he says, I live, yet not I," he personates a believer all along, speaks not in his own person, but in the person of a believer, one justified by faith alone.

II. That Christ liveth in all bellevers: Christ liveth in me."

III. That Christ liveth more in believers than themselves do: "I live, yet not I, but Christ liveth in me.” Christ hath a greater hand and stroke in the spiritual actions of believers than themselves have.

I have spoken of the former of these in another place and now I will speak unto the other: and therefore I shall put them both together, in one doctrine or observation, thus:

Christ doth so live in a believer, that he hath a greater hand and stroke in the spiritual actions of a believer, than a believer himself hath: Christ lives in a believer more than himself, as to his spiritual actions.

For the opening and clearing of this truth. First, I shall labour to shew you that Christ liveth in each believer. Secondly, That he hath a greater hand and stroke in the actions of his spiritual life than a believer hath himself.

First, That Christ liveth in each believer. A man liveth where he worketh, and stayeth, or abideth. A man doth not live where he lieth; he may come and stay for a day or two,

and yet not be said to live there: but where a man works, and stays, or abides, there he lives. Now both these you shall find Christ doth: the first in that known place the viith of John, the 38th verse: "He that believeth on me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. This spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive." Where the Spirit of Christ is, there is Christ. And this is a promise made to all believers, more or less, to be fulfilled unto them; "Out of their bellies shall flow rivers of living water:" which is to be understood of the Spirit. So that the Spirit of Christ shall be in them, and be working in them. And as for the other, you know what is said in that xivth of John, and the 23rd verse: saith our Saviour there," If any man love me, he will keep my words; and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him." It is the same word that is used before for mansions: In my Father's house are many mansions. ver. 2. We will come and take up our mansions with him. And this was so received a principle in the apostle's time, that he says to the Corinthians, in the 1st epistle, iiird chapter, 16th verse, "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" But if you look into the viiith chapter of the Romans, you shall see all proved together, verses 10, 11: " And if Christ be in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the spirit is life, because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead, dwell in you; he that raised up Christ from the dead, shall also quicken your mortal bodies, by his Spirit that dwelleth in you." Here are three or four things observable. First, That Christ in you, and the Spirit in you, is all one. And therefore having said in the 10th verse, "If Christ be in you;" at the 11th verse he says, "If the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead, dwell in you." Again, you may observe here, that Christ in a believer, is not habitual grace only; for, saith he, "If the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead, dwell in you." It was not faith or habitual grace that raised up Christ from the dead, but the Spirit of God himself. And, saith he, this Spirit" dwelleth in you." So that Christ in a believer, is not only the habit of grace, but the Spirit of Christ. And then, thirdly, ye may observe this too; that this Spirit is a

living pirt, and dveileth rideth in a believer. For t is said ice here, that the Spirit dwelleth in on. So that plainly then, you see from the vorts. Christ iweils in every believer, Christ dwells in every christian, he liveth in him.

And if it were not so, how shanid the absence of Jesus Christ be recompensed by the coming of the Spirit, or of the Comforter? When our Lord and Saviour Christ left the world and his disciples, he gave them a gracious primise of sending his Spirit: "And if I go not saith he the Scint or the Comforter will not come: but if I m, I will send the Comforter, and he shall make up your loss of me.” John vi. 7. Now if that the Spirit of Christ should not be in a believer, and live in him; how would the coming of the Holy Ghost, and of the Spirit, make up the loss of the personal presence of Jesus Christ?

Besides, you know that friends love to be near unto one another; and the nearer they are, the happier they count themselves; they love not to be asunder: the soul of the lover liveth where it loveth, rather than where it Iveth. Now there is the greatest friendship between Christ and a believer, and the Lord Jesus Christ hath a happiness above all friends, that he can make himself nearer, and be more one with his friends, than any friend in the world can. And, therefore, upon those terms of love and friendship, Christ by his Spirit liveth in all believers.

It will be said, If Christ liveth in all believers, really liveth in them by his Spirit, then what need of ordinances; for Christ, and the Spirit of Christ in me, can live without ordinances: and if a man have attained once unto the Spirit, Christ in him, and Christ living in him; and have attained unto the Spirit, the Spirit of Christ really living in him; what need of any commandments without, or rules without; for the Spirit will be a sufficient rule to lead him into all that is right: what need, therefore, of any commandments, rules or ordinances without?

ence.

I answer, Yes; for we use the ordinances, not only for the enjoyment of God in them, but as a testimony of our obediIf that the enjoyment of God and Christ, were the only reason of the ordinances, then in case that a man could without the ordinances have the enjoyment of God and Christ, he might lay by the ordinances: but seeing that we