thee from the fountain of all consolation. You may disquiet your souls by
this means, but you shall never make advantage this way. Without him "ye
can do nothing:" and yet ye will not come to him, because ye have done
nothing. It is strange how little reason is in it, if your eyes were
opened. You refuse or delay to abide in the vine till you bring forth
fruit, and fruit ye cannot bring forth till you be in the vine. You would
walk, and you will not have the life from which you must walk. Paul lived
indeed, but what a life! "The life that I live is by the faith of the Son
of God." Faith in Christ transported him out of himself to Christ, or
received Christ into the soul, and Christ in the soul was the life of his
soul, Gal. ii. 20. Your walking is as if a dead man would essay to go.
Will one expect figs of thorns, or grapes of thistles? I beseech you, know
what wrong ye do to yourselves, and to Christ. Ye wrong yourselves,
because ye stand in the way of your own mercy, ye stand aback from your
life,--him that is "the way, the truth, and the life." You would walk in
the way, but no man can walk in this way, but by this way. Christ must
quicken you to walk in himself. Ye must get life in him, and not bring it.
You are in a vain expectation of fruits from yourselves,--they will never
see the sun; and when you have wearied yourselves in such a vain pursuit,
you must at length come and begin here. Ye wrong Christ's grace and mercy.
This order is suited of purpose for our desperate condition, and yet ye
presume to reject it, and seek another. You prescribe to your skilful and
tender Physician, that which would undo you. I beseech you, know the
original of your miseries, doubts, barrenness, and darkness. Here it
is,--you are still puzzling yourselves about grace and duties, how to fill
your eyes with these, and ye neglect Christ as your righteousness, as one
dead and risen again, and now sitting at God's right hand for us. You must
first close with him, as ungodly men. Though you were godly, you must shut
your eyes on any such thing, and lay living Jesus upon your dead and
benumbed hearts. Answer all your challenges with his absolution, and stand
before God, in his clothing. Put his garment immediately on your nakedness
and vileness, and we may persuade you it shall yield you abundant
consolation and life. Because he lives, ye shall live, and walk. If you
were more frequent and serious in the consideration of his excellent
majest