The True Way to the Tree of Life, Part · Section 20 – Section 21
XX. Direction.
UPon the sincere closing with Christ, accepting and applying him to thy self as thine only Saviour and Redeemer, what fullness of all spiritual blessings in heavenly things in Christ, will be heaped upon thy Soul. Eph. 1. 1, 3, 4. &c.
What tongue can utter them; What heart of man can comprehend them? 1 Cor. 2. 9, 10. Be thou careful to walk worthy of them continually. Eph. 4. 1. Col. 2. 6, 7.
1. What heavenly Relations are presently vouchsafed to thee. Thou art a fellow-citizen with the Saints, and of the houshold of God. Eph. 2. 19. and they all thy brethren and sisters in Christ, 1 Pet. 2. 17. God is thy Father, and thou his Child, 2 Cor. 6. 18. Ioh. 20. 17. Christ is thine elder brother and not ashamed to call thee one of his brethren, Rom. 8. 29. Heb. 2. 10, 11. Christ thine head, and thou his member, 1 Cor. 6. 15. Eph. 4. 15, 16. Christ thine Husband, and thou his Spouse, 2 Cor. 11. 3. Christ thy Redeemer and Saviour, and thou his redeemed and saved, Heb. 9. 12. Luke 2. 10, 11. The Holy Ghost is thine Inhabitant, and thou his Temple and Habitation, 1 Cor. 6. 19. and 3. 16, 17. Ephes. 2. 21, 22. Therefore be thou holy in all manner of Christian conversation, 1 Pet. 1. 14. to 18.
2. What great and precious Promises are thereupon given thee? 2 Pet. 1. 3, 4. Promises; 1. Of the life that now is; 2. Of the life to come; and what Promises canst thou desire more? 1 Tim. 4. 8. Now Gods Promises are not like mans Promises, yea and nay, off and on, sometimes performed, sometimes violated, &c. but they are all Yea and Amen in Christ, 2 Cor. 1. 20. altogether immu…able, it being impossible that therein the God of truth should lye, Tit. 1. 2. Heb. 6. 18. Having then these Promises, cleanse thy self from all filthiness of flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God, 2 Cor. 7. 1.
3. What a cluster of soul-beautifying Graces are immediately together with Faith in Christ, instilled and infused into thy soul! Faith is the Captain and leading Grace, all the rest follow. 2 Pet. 1. 5, 6, &c. These are the Divine Nature, and Image of God, whereby the Believer resembles the heavenly Father, 2 Pet. 1. 4. Eph. 4. 24. Col. 3. 11. These make the Kings Daughter all glorious within, so that her clothing is of wrought gold, Psal. 45. 13. These make the Church beautiful, even to the ravishment of Christ, Cant. 7. 1. to 10. and 4. 1. throughout. Labour thou to abound and grow in these Graces continually, 2 Pet. 1. 8. and 3. 18. And as he that hath called thee is holy, so to be holy in all manner of conversation, 1 Pet. 1. 14, 15, 16.
4. What eminent Priviledges are upon thine accepting of Christ, heaped upon thee … 1. Thou art eternally redeemed from all thy spiritual bondage under sin, Satan, &c. under which thou wast enthralled, Heb. 9. 12. Gal. 4. 4. 1 Thes. 1. 10. Gal. 3. 13, 14. 2. Thou art reconciled unto God, who wast formerly at enmity with him, Rom. 5. 10. 3. Thou art justified freely through his Grace, thy sins being pardoned fully through the blood of Christ, and thou art so justified and accepted of God, that thou art become the Righteousness of God in him, Rom. 3. 24, 25. Eph. 1. 7. 2 Cor. 5. 19, 21. 4. Thou art adopted into Gods Family, and art become one of the Houshold of God, and so art made an heir of God, a joynt-heir with Christ, Gal. 4. 4, 5, 6. Eph. 2. 19. Rom. 8. 15, 16, 17. 5. Thou hast access with filial boldness, by the Spirit unto the Father, and maist confidently cry, Abba Father, Eph. 2. 18. Rom. 8. 15. 6. Thou art brought into sweet communion with God, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, which is even the Saints …eaven on earth, 1 Ioh. 1. 3. 2 Cor. 13. 14. 7. Thou hast a Treasury and Fountain of all true Comfort bestowed upon thee, the Holy Ghost the Comforter dwelling in thine heart, 2 Cor. 1. 3. 4, 5. Iohn 14. 16. 8. Thou hast in Christ a new and most excellent Title to all the good things of this present life, 1 Tim. 4. 8. Matth. 6. 33. 1 Cor. 3. 20, 21. 9. Thou art assured, that all things, even the worst of afflictions and persecutions, shall work together for thy good, for thy best, Rom. 8. 28. 10. And finally, Thou hast well-grounded hopes of eternal Happiness in Heaven, when this life shall be no more, in the immediate vision and fruition of God in Christ face to face, which is far best of all, 1 Pet. 1. 3, 4. 2 Cor. 5. 1, 2, &c. Rom. 5. 1, 2. Ioh. 17. 24. Phil. 1. 23.
And therefore give all diligence to walk worthy of all these blessed Priviledges. Enthral not thy self again in the yoke of any spiritual bondage. Provoke not God unto enmity by thy renewed sins. Blot not, blur not the evidence of thy sins pardon by lapses and falls against thy Conscience. Behave thy self towards thy God and all his Children, as one of the Houshold of Faith. Restrain not Prayer, but pray continually, with groans that cannot be uttered, by the assistance of the Spirit. Have no fellowship at all with Sin and Satan, nor any needless fellowship with any workers of iniquity, Eph. 5. 11. Psal. 1. 1. and 26. 4, 5. Psal. 119. 115. Walk not disconsolately and dejectedly, but in the fear of the Lord, and in the comforts of the Holy Ghost, Acts 9. 31. Be abundantly contented in all conditions allotted thee by God. Fully expect good by the worst of afflictions that may befall thee; and be ever carefull to keep thy Hopes and Evidences for Heaven firm and clear, that when thou comest to die, thou maist lift up thine head, and triumph that thy Redemption and celestial Coronation with Christ draweth nigh.
XXI. Direction.
WRastle also most vlgorously, (O thou that wast Natural, but art spiritualized, wast dead, but art alive again) against all thy sins, spiritual enemies, and their temptations, Heb. 12. 4. Col. 3. 5. to 12. Eph. 6. 11. to 19. for all time to come, that they may none of them in the least measure eclipse any of these thy spiritual Priviledges , or embitter any other thy sweet enjoyments.
Holy David, by his lapses, brought many deep wounds and scarrs upon his Conscience, Psal. 51. 3, 8. some of which he probably carried to his Grave. Loving and confident Peter, by his triple denial of his Lord and Master Christ, purchased to himself a torrent of bitter tears, Mat. 26. 75. The Ephesian Angel, by leaving his first love and first works, was so offensive thereby to Christ, that he threatned the removal of his Candlestick, Revel. 2. 4, 5. The Church her self by her carnal sluggishness and security, lost her sweet Communion with Christ for a season, and was involved in deep spiritual distress, Cant. 5. 2. to 9. Be thou warned by their examples, which are written for thine admonition, lest through thy spiritual oscitancy and sluggishness, thou bring upon thy self like spiritual calamities, and so far wound thy Conscience, as to go bleeding to thy Grave.