CHAP. IX. SCET. r: Of the Nature ofrhe Life ofFaith. . . 0 live by Faith, is by Faith in Chrift to ajJent and adhere unto, and to pojJejJe the whole Word ofGod as ottr 91Vi1 in rilljfater aJtd 'on– ditions, refting quietly upon hisgrat'ious and faithfl!l prqmrfe,and yielding our Jelves unto his good pleapre, injincere, 11/Ziv;rfalMd. conjfant obedience: Or, to live by Ftmh, "to feed upon the fC";e– ral Promifes of God made in his Word,, t~nd to 11ppty them to, our own[elves, according to our needs, andJo to uphold, co.mfort and incourage omftlv~s againjf all temptations, a11dunto e71ery good duty. This Life ofFaith is a very Heaven up.on ~arth, afweet SanCluary to any hunted roul;hercby our hearts will be eheared, our life will be rwcct to us, God will be glorified, and the glory of his truth will be mightily advanced. 0 bleffed duty! S E C T. 2. Of the manner of•this Life ofFaith in general. 0 Ur Dire(!ions for this life of Faith 5 General. are either l_Particular. . In general that we ma.y live by Faith, we mull: endeavour two things. ' S I. To get matter for our Faith to work upon, I 2. To or4er our faith aright in the work. r. That we may provide matter for our Faith to work upon, we mull obferve three things: r. That we !I:ore up all the good*Pro,iiifes of God, and our·own experiences feafonably : It is good to lay up in a good time aforehand. 2. That we lay in Promifcs of all kinds: We had better leave then lack; it is the wif– dom of a man, that he may oot livefeebly and poorly, but to have fomewhat to fpare. . 3. That we fo lay them up, that we may have them at hand: It is folly to fay, I h11ve asgood provi(iort as canbe, but I ha?Je it not here: Let the Word of God dwell inJim plenu– ouPJ and richlJin allJVifdom. 2. That we may order our Faith aright in the wprk, obfervc thefe Directi– ons: . 1. Take poffcffion of the J'mni[es, and value them gs our own. The Prophet recor– dmg a PromiJ; in Efay 54- I 7.addes thus,This is the herita.$eof theforvantspfthe Lord.] So that there s no godly man or woman but is a great hme. Whenfocvcr they look into Gods book, and find there any Promife, they make it their own: jult as an heire that rides over diverfe fields and meddows, he faith-, this meddolV is my heritage, and and this corne.fttld is my heritasc: and then he fees a fair houfe, and faith, thisfair hoJtfe "myhmtage: and he looks upon them with another manner of eye then a !hanger that fhall ndc ~ver thofc fields : So a carnal heart reads thofe homifes,but meerly as !l:ories, not as havmg any interefl: in them; but a godly man every time he reads the.Scriptures (remember th".notc JVhm you 11re reading the Scriymrcs)and there meet$ Wtth a Promife,hr:. ought to layh1s hand upon it, and fay, this is a part ofmy heritage; it's mine; and I MJ to live uponu. , ~. _Expett nothing from the l'romife, but that which is fuit~blc to the nature of it: To thts p11rpofe fome l'romifes ~re abfo!ute, which God bath limply determined to , E e ac- • Are not thefe tbeftars ;n the firmament of · tht Scr;pture ! tbemojl t oldeo lintS in that , B,.~ ofGod? of all the Bible me1binl(t, we– fhould nor p•rr with gne of tha[e promi[u; no, mtfira 'Riorld. Col3, 16.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=