penny, and comes off also, many times, but with an hungry belly;
but he that has, not only that, but always over and to spare, he
is more at liberty, and can live in fullness, and far more like a
gentleman. There is a man has a cistern, and that is full of water:
there is another also, that has his cistern full, and withal, his
spring in his yard; but a great drought is upon the land in which
they dwell: I would now know, which of these two have the most
advantage to live in their own minds at liberty, without fear of
wanting water? Why this is the case in hand. There is a Christian
that knows Christ in all those degrees of his love that are
knowable, but he knoweth Christ nothing in his love that passeth
knowledge. There is another Christian, and he knows Christ, as the
first, but withal, he also knows him as to his love that passeth
knowledge. Pray now tell me, which of these two are likeliest to
live most like a Christian, that is, like a spiritual prince, and
like him that possesseth all things? which has most advantage to
live in godly largeness of heart, and is most at liberty in his
mind? which of these two have the greatest advantage to believe,
and the greatest engagements laid upon him to love the Lord Jesus?
which of these have also most in readiness to resist the wiles of
the devil, and to subdue the power and prevalency of corruptions?
'Tis this, that makes men fathers in Christianity. "I write unto
you, fathers, because ye have known;--I have written unto you,
fathers, because ye have known" (1 John 2:13-14), why, have not
others known, not so as the fathers? The fathers have known and
known. They have known the love of Christ in those degrees of love
which are knowable, and have also known the love of Christ to be
such which passeth knowledge. In my father's house is bread enough
and to spare, was that that fetched the prodigal home (Luke
15:17). And when Moses would speak an endless all to Israel, for