j!,rolimg unto 'jcfuS'. Book Ill. 11 S it, he gave gifts unto men; as he receives, {~he gives, being faithful in all that is corn- E.ph. 4· 8. mitred ro him. 4 . By Faith we feek God, and beg performance of;his,promifes according to our need. do we want wtfdom. meeknefs, panence, or any other Grace? .Falth carnes us. by pr'ayer unto rhe Fountain_, and in this way wairsand ex~ecls to_ receive the Grace we want. As rhe Child by fuckmg the BreafL draws forth milk Jfr ltS own nour1H1m~nt, and thereby it grows in Hrengrh ; fo do we by rhe prayer of fwh fuck from Chufl,and from the promifeof Grace, and by that means derive fl:rengrh 10 our inner manto fulfil the Covenant which we have made with God. . . , . 6. As Faith flrengrhens us, fo if at any time.s by occaqo!' or re.mprarion we Tail in our Covenant-keeping, faith recovers us, and reflores us ag'!in to our former,dhte; I do not fay the Coven1nt can be !Jroken bmvix! God aud us ; _we n<ay offend God, and fail inrheferviceof God; but tillwerefufeGod, and leave Cod, ..and chufe anotherMa– fler, Lord and Hmband belides God, there is nodiffolutionof the Covenant of Grace: now this a true Believer cannot.do ; be may fall, and fall ofren, yet he doth not fall, but he rifes again; be may rurnafide, bur yet he returns again into the way of the Cove– nant. ,;vhar a fweer l'oint is this? Cbr.iUiatos, we may'· and fomedmes we do walk weakly in keeping of Covenant, our fen !lip, and we fl:ep afide out of Gods path; yet Faith bring• us back again ro God; .iteaUs fl~ame on our faces, that after all rhe Grace fJJCwed us, we !110uld fo ill require God: it remind.s u$ ..0f rhofe Promifes, Reh wrn unto mr, and !will rentrnmuo;we. --· Ye ha'"vedonC'ailthts wick§dnefs, yet wrnnot 2~~ 1~ 1 "~;· 0 ajide from following the Lord :~for the Lord will not forfake hu people for hu great~'- 1 'u. ' ' Naones fak!, becaJtfe it hath pleafed the Lord to mak§ you hu people. In the minding of rhefe and fuch other promifes, Faith doth encourage us to return l}nto God, to rake words unto our felves, and to ple1d the Covenant of his Grace towards us; this work of faith brought Peter back to Chrii!, whereas JudM wanting this faith, lies down in defperare farrow, never able to rife up, or to recover himfelt: 0 my foul, art rbou acquainted with rhefe acts of Faith, enabling thee in fame good meafure to keep Covenant with God ? then is there a fweer conformity betwixt thee and Jefus. · 3· God in Chrifl bath highly honoured us as we are his people ; fo we through Chrill: fl10uld honour him highly as be is our God; this is the main end of rhe Covenant: and I lhall end with this, 0 my Soul, be like to God, bear the image and refemblance of God thy _Father in this refpe<'l:; he bath humbled himfelfro advance thee, 0 then hum– ble tbyfdfro advance him; endeavour every way to exalt his Name. We are all willing to be in Covenant with God, that we may fer up our felves, that we may lit upon Thrones, and poffefs a Kingdom ; but we nm!'c think efpecially of ferring up the Lord upon his Throne : .A{cribe greaenefs to Ollr God, faith Mofes: make Deur. 32. 3; it a name and a praife unto him, that he bath vouchfafed ro make us his people, and to rake us into Covenam with himfelf; honour him as he is God, but honour him more abundantly as he is our God : Who 01auld honour him if his people will not? The world knows him .not; the wick§d will not feck aJter God,- - -God u not in all hu Pial. lo. 4· thoughts: And fJJall God ha~e no honour? fJJall he that flretched out the heavens, and laid rhe foundations of rbe earth, and formed man upon it, have no glory? 0 yes! The Lord bimfelf an:wers; Thu people have !formed for my Je!f, they jhall jhew fmh l(a. 43:2r. m1 praife ; furely God will have praife from his own people whom he bath taken unto lumfelf: he will beglorified in allthofe that come near unto him. Lev. 10 • J• Bur how fl10uld we honour God ? Ianfwer,- I. Wemu!tfet him up as chiefand bighell: in our efleem: K,ings account northern. felves honoured if they be not fet above other iuen ; and hence Gods ·people have ufed fuch expreffions concerning God, as do fingle him forth beyond the comparifon of all Creatures: Thus Mofes, Who H lik! 1mto thee amongft the God.r-'. Whou lik§ lmto thee, Exod. IS· 1 r. glortous '"hohne{s, fearful m praifes, dorng wonders .' 1 hus Dtwtd; Thou art grr~t 0 'Sam. 7. •,; Lord God,for there u none lik.! thee, neirher is there any God bejides thee, according to all I Kng. 8. ". that we have heardwlthour ears. Thus Solomon; Lord God of Ifrael, there is no G~d lik! theeznheavenabove, orintheearthbeneath, who keepeft Co11enant and Mercy with thy Servants-' Thus Micah; Who is a God lik§ unto thee, w,hich pa[Jefl by the Tranf- . grejfions of the remnant of thine Heritage.' And thus lhould we rife up in our Mlcah7.1S. thoughts and apprehenfions of God, until we come to an holy exta!ie and admiration of God. z, We
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