JLoolitng unto 'jjdu.s. Book IJ, 47 hMve;;t;J;;;;J;;;;,;,/,~fore I come: there are Angels, and there are aft thefouls of Saints, th,lf fromAdam to this day have had rheirpafs out of thu jinfu!JV rid: yea, there u /ef:u the Son of God; and there is God the Fath'er, God the Son, and Godrhe Holy Ghoft ; a.'id if Jam prrdrj/inated ro thu fel!oujlnp, Lord, whenfl~all !have rttn through rhemeans that !may comerorhro er.d ? Omyend! >rhere u my end? whereu my Lord, my God, my CoJr.– foner? where M~IIJ refl? wher~ t6 my e~d? I cannot be at rrft lwthout my end, apd t.het·e-. fore """" Lo'cl Jcfu, come quick,Jy, be !tk§. a_ Ro' , or a yo1mg Hart upon theM oumams of Cant. 8. r4. fpices. Chriflians! w_hy are not your Spmts al wayes breathmg tl~us after the glory, to which you are predefltoated? why do not you long afrer full enJoyme.m ?_ the utmo!l execution of Gods decree? why are not your hearts, your fouls, your fpmQalready tn heaven? Surely there be your relations; your F-ather is there,your elder brorlih is ther~, and there are many, I dare fay, mofl of your other younger brethren: agam, there ts yowr imere!t your e!late is there, if you believe: and therefore where Jhould your hearts be b~t where your rreafure is? come then, come : fet in tune thofe delires of your foul~, fet yOJOr nffeCiions on things above, efpecially on that one thing JefusChrifi : looking umo Jcfm. · SECT. IV. Of hoping in refm i11 thllt refpcrl:. +·'" 1 VE ·mull hopein rcf"'· as carrying on rhat great work of ralvarion ror us in thar V Eternity. It is not enough to know and confrder, and defire ; but we mufl hope, and maintain our hope as to our own interefr. Nowhope_u a pa(fion, whereby we _ex– pea probably, o~ certainly fome future;;ood. All t?e queft1on IS, wh:ther that falvatron, concerning wluch the great tranfachon was betWIXt God and Chnfl, belongs now to me? and what are the grounds arid foundations on which my hope is built? I kno\l" fome exceedingly abufe this Doctrine; If God had before all wgrJ.ds <'ppoinred me to fal– 'IMtion, whyrhen f may live as Ilij/; I neednothear, orpray,orconfer,orperform anyho– ly d~tty, .fo~ I am Jure I Jhall be faved. And thus at once they take away ~ll grounds of hope. It istrue Godsdecrees are unchangeable, but they do not afford any fuch inf~rencrs ordeduc'tions as thefe: you might as \HII fay, the Lord bath appointed me ro live tofuch atime, and before that rime I fhall nor, cannot die, and therefore I need no meat nor drink, nor cloathes, nor any other thing: Ah filly, foolifh, devjllinr arguing ! Gods decree is for the means, as well as for the end; whom God bath decreed ro fave, them alfo bath he decreed ro call, to juflifie, to fanCl:ifie, before he fave: 0 my Squl, look to the groundswhereon thy hope is built: if thofe be weak, thy hope is weak: but if thofe be Hrong, thy hope will prove mofl firong; and certain, and prudent. 1n the difqailition of thefe grounds, fay not in thine heart, whoJhall afcend imo heaven? · or who jh.>ll defcw d into the deep? feek not above, or below: it is not po/Iible for thee ro l!.om. ro. r6. go bodily ihto Heaven ro fee the Records of Eternity, and to read thy name in the @ook of Life, but fearchinro thefefruits and effeClsof1hy eleClion. As--- r. Ifthou beefr within Gods decrees for falvation, then, fooner or later,God will caufe the power of his Word to come with authority and conviClion upon thy confcience : IQ!Ol>ing brethren, beloved,your eleElion of God, far our Gofpel came not untoyot< in Word only, but alfo inpo:ver. The Apoflle fpeak.. thus of others; he mig~t know they were the rThef. I. 4•>· EleCled of God wher by h1s judgm~nt ofcharity, or by a fpiritof difcerning,which was voach~;fed tofome m the Apoflles ttmes; buthowcomes he immediately toknowthis ~ruth. by tlusg_lonous effect, ottr Gofpelcamenot in Word only, b1tt alfo inpower. Oh us good to conhdcr Withwhat power the Word preached falls into thy heart; doth it convmcethee, humble thee, mollifie thee, foften thee? this argues thou belongefi to God. The Word preached will be more then the word of aman, more then a meer hu- ~uan Orauon. or verbal declamation, where it comes in power : Oh! it will be like fire m thy bowels , ltke a two-edged Sword in the fecret places of thy heart, thou wilt cry Out, venly God IS here, Oh the power! the COIJViCiion' the meltings •f my {Dill thdt I feel wt.thmme! / 2. 1f God harh ordai.ned thee to SalTation, then, fooner or later God will effectually call thee. Moreover whom he did predej/inate, them he alfo called; this calling is a cal- Rom,S. 3o,· lrng of rhc Soul from fin, from amonglt the re!l of the World unto Jefus Chrifl. it is f<JCh a call asenables the foul to follo:-v Chrifi ; as .(Watthewbeing called by Cluifr, he arofe
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