our over themselves with some performances of religious
duties, and smooth themselves with civility in carriage, yet alas! how few
are they who are renewed in the spirit of their mind, and have put on
Christ in their inward man, who have opened the secrets of their hearts,
and received him to "lie all night between their breasts." How few are
busied about their hearts, to have any new impression and dye upon their
affections,--to mould them after a new manner,--to kill the love of this
world and the lusts of it,--and cast out the rottenness and superfluity of
naughtiness which abides within! But some there are who are persuaded thus
to do to give up their spirits to religion, and all their business and
care is, to have Christ within, as well as without. Now, if the rest of
you will not be persuaded to be of this number, consider what you prejudge
yourselves of, of all the comfort of religion, and then religion is no
religion, and to no purpose, if you have no benefit by it. And certainly,
except Christ be in you as a King to rule you, and a Prophet to teach
you,--to subdue your lusts, and dispel your darkness, when he appears, he
cannot appear to your comfort and salvation. You are deprived of this
great cordial against death, and death must seize upon all that is within
you, soul and body, since Christ the Spirit of life is not within you.
Happiness without you will not make you happy--salvation round about you
will not save you. If you would be saved, there must be a near and
immediate union with happiness. Christ in the heart, and salvation cometh
with him. A Christian is not only Christ without not imputing his sins to
him, clothing him with his righteousness but Christ within too, cleansing
the heart from the love of sin, "perfecting holiness in the fear of God."
Do not think you have any share in Christ without you, except you receive
Christ within you, because Christ is one within and without, and his gifts
are undivided. Therefore true faith receives whole Christ as a complete
Saviour, even as he is entirely offered, so he is undividedly received as
he is without saving us, and within sanctifying us,--Christ without,
delivering from wrath--and Christ within, redeeming from all iniquity--these
cannot be parted more than his coat that had no seam. It is a heavy and
weighty word of this apostles, 2 Cor. xiii. 5: "Examine yourselves,
whether ye be in the faith know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus
Christ is in yo