po Rom. ;.' [0, lam. 3·. >6. Gen. u.18. John 3· r6. John "·'5· A<h 13.39· Allr16.31, Mtuo. 43· John ;.36; John 6, '17• Book IV. Jloolttng unto 'jjtfng. Chap. 5. Secl:.r. not meant thee for a Scribeinj/rufl:ed unto the Kingdom of .hc~'7Jw ? ~vould Chrill · . h ~ feveral ading_s ha.·e fet himfelfbefore thee as the object of admiration, actoratio~~ b~~ hef .and obedtence, 1f he had not meant to own t~ee, ~nd to be owned by thee? would Chrrfl: ever have come fo near to thee, as to have !tved m thee to have been the~ I f thy foul, and the life of thy life, the all of thy underfl:andi~g and w1"JI 1 ·mag· ou 0 d a: .o.· d · d fc · ·f h ' matlons an aue..rons, uttes an erv1ces, 1 e had not purpofed to have fwed rh b h. life? Snrdy it _is good that I both hope, and quietly 1\'ait for the falvation of ~o/ ~ can~ot hope tn vatn tf thefe be the grounds of my hope. SECT. V. Of Believi11g in [efu<in that refpeit. 5 ·LEt us believe in {efu< carrying on the great work of our Salva,tion in his Life. Ma- . . ny Souls !land aloof, not_da~mg to make a pan~tular application of Chrilland !m L1fe to themfelves; but hewn IS the property of Faith, it b~ings all home and makes ufe of whatfoever Chrifl: is or does, for it felf. To ponder Chrill's adio~sduring his Life, and the in~uenceof his adions,to all that~re his, what is this tame, unlefs I beheve my own parr tn all thts? Oh I dare notbelieve ( cries many a poor foul) is tt credtblethat fefu<ChrifttheSon of God, the bnghtnrfs of his Fathers Glo>y, theex– pre{s mrage of hu Fathers Perjo11, fhould be mcamate for me, and lead fuch a life upon earth for myfoul ? what! t•be bapttz:.ed, tobe tempted, to manifeft himfelf in the form of man, ·to whtp the Buyers andSeijers oHt of hu Temple, to preach up a11d down the Gofpel of the Kmgdom,. to work._ 11'11racle.r among men, to fend abroad hu _Apojlles with a commif– Ji.on to preach, to t.nvtte firmers, t~ eafo the burden of dtutes~ and m a word~ to publifh the nghteoHfne(s of hu Nawre and Life; and all thu, ~nd a thoH[and times more than Ail this, for my [o11l? 0 what am I, or what i.r my Fathers houfe? if God jiJOu/d let me live one year in heaven, it were infinite me.rcy; but that the ~od of f!eaven jho1t!d live fo mtmy year.ronearth, andthatall that whdehe fhould emptyhtmfelf, ;n watching, faj/ing, praying, preaching for my fakE; Oh the dopth! Oh the depth ! I ta11110t be– litve. Sweet Soul, be not faithlefs, but believing ; I know it is an hard and difficult thing. but ro help on a trembling foul, I Jhall firll: direCt, and then encourage. ' Firll for direCtion, let fouls be acquainted how to ad their Faith on Chrrft in refpe\'t of his Life. The manner of its proceedings I fuppofe is thus:-- I. Faith mull: directly go to Chrifl:. Many poor fouls humbled for iin, and taken off from their own bottom, they run immediately to the promife of pardon, and dofe with it, ~nd reil: on it, not feeking for, or clofing with Chrill in the promife; this is a common error among thoufands; but we lhould obferve, tl111t the firll promife that was given, was not a bare word limply promifing pardon, peace, or any other benefit, which God would befiow ; but it was a Promife of Chrifl:"s perfon, as overcoming Sa– tan, and purchafing thofe benefits, The Seed of the woman jh.t/1 bmife the Serpents head. So when the Promife was renewfd to Abraham, it was not a bare promife of blelfednefs andforgivenefs, but of that feed, that is, Chrifl, Gal: 3.6. in whom that bklfed– nefs was conveyed ; In thy feed jhall all the Nations of the earth be bleJJed. . So that Abrahllm's Faith firfl: clofed with Chrifl: in the Promife, and th~refore he IS fa•d to fee Chrijf's d.,y, and to rcjoyce in embracing him. Chrill: in doefirll place, a?d more imme– diately, is every where made the thing which Faith ~mbra~eth to falvanon, and whom it looks unto and refpeds, as tt makes us rtghteous tn the l1ght of God . God fo i•ved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whofoever believeth in him Jltould not perijh, buthaveever!{lj/ing life.---!amtherefurreR:w• and the life, ke that bebeveth in n;e, though he were dead, yet Jballhelwe.-.-_-Andby h;m all that belttve are ;ujlijied from allthings, from whifh ye could not be JUJft{iedby the Law of Mofes.-.--.and, Be– lieve onr'lkLord Jeflu Chriff, and thon {halt be faved ._---. And, To h1m gwe allthe Propqcts witncfs, that thr.,.gh his."""!',' who(oever beltevcth zn lum, jiMllrccewe re,.,ijfi011 of fins. ' And hence it is that Fatth ts called the Fmth of Chrifl:, Gal. z. 16. Phtl. 3:9· Be~aufe Chri!l is it whom Faith apprehends immedtately; and as for the other prom1fes they4epe(\d all on this, Whofoever believeth onhimjhall receive remijfion of fim:_ an~:• that believeth 011 the Son of God fhall have bfe everlaftmg ; vmly, vmly I fny 1 "'toY h~
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