not hear that this is his work and grace? For he has now taken thee out of the world, and has given thee unto me, and has granted unto thee this grace to hear me with a willing mind, and to love and magnify my Word. In having this, thou hast all things: nor hast thou any need to seek any thing farther, than to pray continually that thou mayest not basely depart from the Word.' And, in a word, whosoever cleaveth unto Christ, has an abundance of grace, and can never perish, although he may be led aside by the infirmity of the flesh and fall, (as it happened unto St. Peter,) provided that, he despise not the Word; as the fanatical spirits do, who boast of the Gospel and yet care nothing for it whatever. Let none, however, arrogate this consolation to themselves, but those miserable, afflicted, and in many ways wounded consciences; who, when they would willingly be under grace, and held in the love of Christ, do not desire to oppose his Word, but feel the greatest grief that it is every where so maliciously and wickedly impugned and oppressed.

Behold, thus does Christ always endeavour to draw us upward through himself, and to reveal unto us the mind of the Father, and to set the same forth in the most lovely and friendly point of view, that we might not be afraid of him, but look up to him with a happy countenance, and approach him with all confidence. And these words of his are to be most fervently loved by us; for no one believes how great the wickedness and malice of the devil are, and especially in temptations of that sort, whereby he endeavours to seduce men by those acute and subtle thoughts and imaginations of their own; wherein, they endeavour to separate, divide, and disunite Christ the Lord from the Father, that they might seek the Father nakedly without Christ, or look upon Christ as a mere man.

Hence it appears to me, that there is not a more difficult article of faith than to believe that this Man Christ is also truly the Son of God. And the reason is this-when we believe this, then we have gained the victory for we think thus-Whatever Christ does,

whatever he speaks to me, promises me, or gives me, and with whatever thing he draws, calls me forth, comforts me and strengthens me, or when he pardons my sins and bears with me, &c. all these same things the Father does, as being that one God. What hurt, then, can death and the devil, together with all afflictions and adversities do me?-But this, reason cannot apprehend; and here the devil comes in and helps it on, by saying, that a line and a difference must be drawn between God and Christ, and that, by two different considerations; that we are to look for Christ upon the cross, but for God in the heaven above; and thus at last we are brought to torment ourselves by saying-Who knows what God is thinking above, or what he is meditating in his mind concerning me!

While such cogitations occupy the heart, it is impossible that it can be still and stand fast: for in this way, the person God-Man is divided and separated. On the cross, or in the bosom of the mother, nothing else is beheld but the Man Christ, in whom there is neither wrath nor terror, but mere kindness and good-will, and also an incredible and overflowing charity ready to help us. But, if this view be left, and thou climb up to the Divine Majesty, then thou must of necessity run against it and be thunderstruck and confounded; and thus, thou fallest back the moment thou beginnest to withdraw thyself from the view of grace, and to look at the naked Divine Majesty, which is too sublime and mighty for thine eyes to behold. For, out of Christ, nature can see and attain unto no grace or love in God; because, out of him, there is nothing else but wrath and damnation. And this is what I call separating the Father and Christ, or separating the man from the Son of God; that is, dividing and separating the one person Christ; and this is the worst of all the devil's cunning and craft. For the rest, such as the Sabellians and Manichees, are stupid and clownish devils; who teach, that it is not to be believed, either that God is a man, or that a man is truly God. For that these things are called only objects of speculation, and mere imaginations and subtle

figments of the sophists, which are brought forward for disputation in the schools. But however, when the matter comes to experience, where we have to stand by faith, and where the heart has to fight against temptations, then is the time to find and feel what these things are.

We find, John xiv. that Philip also was under this temptation, where he says, "Lord shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us." As though he had said, Thou speakest unto us many and great things concerning the Father. We see, hear, and well know thee; but when will it be that we shall once see the Father? Behold, these great apostles, who had Christ for so long a time, and had been daily in his society, are still immersed in these carnal thoughts, and seek God out of Christ, and separate him from the Father. Wherefore, Christ reproves his curiosity, and draws him down to himself, and says, "Philip, he that seeth me seeth the Father also. Why sayest thou then shew us the Father. Believest thou not that I am in the Father and the Father in me."

Therefore, these words are to be diligently impressed on our minds and contemplated, that we may accustom ourselves so to behold and hear Christ the Lord, as most certainly beholding and hearing the Father at the same time; and that we may wholly hide and enthrone ourselves in him; yea, that we may wrap ourselves up in the same swaddling clothes, and offer ourselves up to be nailed and bound together with him on the tree, and by no means suffer ourselves to be allured without toward the naked Majesty, lest the devil should catch us and overpower us; whose whole aim is, to dissolve" Christ manifest in the flesh," (as the blessed John, chap. i. and ii. most wisely discourseth upon this subject,) that he may separate the God-head from the Man-hood in Christ.

I have given admonitions on, and handled this point the more diligently, because there are many erroneous spirits who seduce both themselves and others by their cogitations; and lay, particularly, a great stress upon

these words, "The flesh profiteth nothing." As though God had to do with nothing but with the Spirit. And this is most especially what is called dissolving Christ, and tearing him from his divinity, as useless flesh and blood: yea rather, it is dividing that one indivisible person of Christ. For what is it else but making of Christ two persons, when they seek God out of the flesh, and openly affirm that it was the man alone that died for us, and that his flesh is of no use to us whatever. And even when they grant that the flesh of Christ is of use to us, in so much as it was that which died for us; yet, they deny, that, after that was done, and he ascended into heaven, we ought any longer to cleave unto it; but say, that the mind must be raised up more highly in the spirit, and penetrate unto the Father, &c. Therefore, when they thus set at nought the humanity and consider it useless, it justly happens to them that they lose the Divinity also!

Hence, as I have abundantly declared already, he who shall hereafter seek God, and would not seek him in vain but find him, and yet does not seek him in Christ alone, he will not find God, but the very devil himself. For you hear in this scripture, that Christ takes all into himself, when he says, "I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me." And he afterwards saith, "Thine they were, and thou gavest them me," &c. Here, I say, you hear, how the Father binds. us to the Son in his flesh and blood, as being that one who alone manifests and glorifies the Father in us by his external, preaching, that we may know where and how the Father is to be found. And hence we are given by him to Christ, as that one unto whom we ought to cleave, and to the words of whose mouth we ought wholly to listen, then, flesh and blood are by no means so utterly to be rejected; but the rather, we are to be shrouded by them, as being the place where the Father would have us placed; yea where he himself will alone be found and no where else. So that, we are thus to come by him unto the Father, and to be where he is as those who are now taken out of the world, and are not

to remain with it under the power of the devil, nor to perish with it. Wherefore, let every one for himself give eternal thanks unto God, who has been brought to bow to the hearing of Christ, and to delight in his word. And let each one hope with a glad and believing mind, that God will by no means ever permit us to perish, seeing that he has given unto us his only and beloved Son Christ, and has, in giving us him, most abundantly and fully poured forth upon us all grace.

Thine they were, and thou gavest them me.

These words he speaks for the more full consolation and up-raising of our weak and trembling conscience. For when he uses so many words, he does it not that his prayer might be the more effectual to obtain his request of the Father, (for the Father knew all things before, and also, whatsoever Christ asks and prays for, he certainly obtains,) but, that he might fill our mind, which is always trembling and afraid of God, with an emboldened trust, that we might look upon him with joy and reliance, and run up to him with all confidence, and be able to stand in his sight. And this, no man upon earth can do of himself, for whenever he properly thinks on God, he trembles, and would run out of the world if he could; nay, he is filled with alarm at the very hearing of his name. I am not now speaking of those ungodly and inordinately living brutes and beasts; but, of those whose heart is touched, and who feel their sins; for it is to them only I am making known these things. For the conscience is always in arms, feeling and knowing that God is wrath against sinners, and that he will condemn them. It sees moreover, that it cannot escape the wrath of God; and therefore, it trembles and despairs, and is so astounded and deathy as if thunderstruck. Therefore, we should apply all diligence after Christ, that he would speak unto our heart these sweet, friendly, and consolatory words, and by them take away those heavy, bitter, and horrible temptations, and that he would sweetly teach us of the Father, according to the desires of each mind.-Let us, then, with all dili