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Christ: The Way, the Truth, and the Life by John (of Wamphray) Brown
page 38 of 405 (09%)
so that the man in whom Christ is formed, and in whom he dwells, lives,
and walks, hath while upon the earth, a conversation in heaven; not only
in opposition to those many, whose end is destruction, whose god is
their belly, whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things; but
also to those pretenders unto and personaters of religion, who have
confidence in the flesh, and worship God with their own spirit, which
in the matters of God is flesh and not spirit, and have somewhat else to
rejoice in than in Christ Jesus, and a being found in him, not having
their own righteousness.

True gospel holiness, then, consists in some similitude and likeness to
God, and fellowship with him founded upon that likeness. There is such
an impression of God, his glorious attributes, his infinite power,
majesty, mercy, justice, wisdom, holiness, and grace, &c., as sets him
up all alone in the soul without any competition, and produceth those
real apprehensions of him, that he is alone excellent and matchless. O
how preferable doth be appear, when indeed seen, to all things! And how
doth this light of his infinite gloriousness, shining into the soul,
darken and obscure to an invisibleness all other excellencies, even as
the rising of the sun makes all the lesser lights to disappear. Alas!
how is God unknown in his glorious being and attributes! When once the
Lord enters the soul, and shines into the heart, it is like the rising
of the sun at midnight: all these things which formerly pretended to
some loveliness, and did dazzle with their lustre, are eternally
darkened. Now, all natural perfections, and moral virtues, in their
flower and perfections, are at best looked upon as _aliquid nihil_. What
things were formerly accounted gain and godliness, are now counted loss
for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus the Lord, and the
soul cannot only suffer the loss of them all without a sob, but be
satisfied to throw them away as dung, that it may win him, and be found
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