p8 Book IV. JLootttng unto 'jcfu.S'. Phi!. 3·3· Chrifl, here's a temptation, I cannot relifl it; here's a corruption, I onnot overcome it; here's a perfecution, I cannot down w~th it: well, but Chrifl is mine, I have in– tere!l, in Chrifl, and I have poffeffion of Chnfi, and I find enough in Chrifl to fuppl)' all ~ywants; he was [et ?P on purpofe to gtve megrace, and to renew my firength, fo thattfl ma~e my appltcanon tO Chnft, I can d~a/1 things, Plul. 4· I 3. I can f:ifferthe lofsof all things, Phtl. 3. 8. I can conquer all thtng~, nay, in all things be mor·e thana Ca>Z– querour through him that loves me, Rom. 8. 37." Oh tile joy now thatthis accommo– dation brings tO my foul! I (ee it is nothing but Chrill:, and therefore I cannot but rc– jo~cein this Chrift, ori mufl rejoyce in nothing at all: Surely we are the Circumcifion whteh rejoyce,. Chrift zcf.u, and have no confidence in the fief/,. Mark 9· •4· 0 my foul! _whi' ts thy faculty of joy? co':'e bring it to this bleffed objeer, the Lord Jefus Chnft: lf thou knowft not bow, firft contemplate on Chrill: . think on ~hof~ feveral paffages in his life; thofe thatlived with him, and ltood by to f~e them, it !J fatdofthem, that they allrejoycedfor thegloriom things that were done by him. Or if thy heart be fo dull and ~1eavy '. that this will not raife it up, then look to th)' grounds of hope and confidence mChnfi : fo long as thou doubt~fi of him, or of thy intereft in him, haw n10uldfi thou rejoyce or be cheerful in thy fpirit? The poor man could not fpea.k itwithout.tears, Lor~, I believe, help thou my •mbelief; a believing unbelief, a wavenng, ll:aggenng~ trembhngfatth cannot be wtthout fome wounds in fpirir : 0 be confident, and this will make thee chearful ; or if yet thou feelefl not this affection ro ilir, afpire to fruition, yea to more and more fruition ofChrifl, and uni0n with Ou·ifi. and to that purpofe con!ider thy propriety to Chrilt, thy polfeffion of Chrift, and th; accommodation or ufefulnefs of Chrifi to thy condition, whatfoever it is. What? will not thefe things move thyfpirirual delight? canfl rhou not hear Chrill: fay, .All,[ am is thine, and all I have done isrhine,for thy ufe, and for thy bemjit. And doth not thy heart leap within thee at each word ? 0 my foul, I cannot check thee for thy deadnefs: it is faid, that when ChriftwM at the def<ent of the Mount of Olives, that the whole multi– tude of the Difcip!es began to rejoyce, and praife God with. a loud.voice, f.or all the mighty 1vork! that they had feen. What? a multitude of dtfctples reJoycrng tn Chrilt's acts? and art not thou one amongfi the multirude? If thou art a Difciple, rejoyce thou : furely it concerns thee as much as them; and therefore rejoyce, lift up thy voice in har– mony with the reil, rejoyce, atJdagainrejoyce; luk<I)I. 37· SECT. VIII. Of calling on 'fef"' in ihat re[pcfl. 8.LEt us call 1n Jcfur, or on God the Father in and through Jefus. Thus we read thntlooking up to Jefus, or lifting up the eyes to J efus, goes alfo for Prayer in Pfal.;. l· Gods Book: My prayer will I direlJ to thee (faith David) andwitlloo/zup, and mine eyes Pfal. 6 9· 3· fail with looking up1w1rds. Faith in prayer will often come out at the eye in lieu of an– other door; our affections will often break out at the window, when the door is clofed. Thus Stephenlook:,dup to Heavai; hefent a Poft, a greedy, pitiful a~d hungry look: Al\s 7; ><· up to Jefus Chriltout at the window, at the nearelt palfage, to tell htm that a poor friend was coming to him: why thus let usloo/z.Hpto Jejiu by calling on him; nowrhis calling on him contains Prayer and Praife. . . . . . . 1. Wemultpraythat allthefetranfacrionsof Jefusdunng~tsL!fe, or dunng lusMt– niftry upon earth, may beours; we hopdt is fo,_ and we beheven to be fo; but for all that, we mufl pray that It may be fo. There ts no contradtctton benvtxt Hope, aud Fairh, and Prayer, but rather a concatenation : Lord, I believe, yet help my nnbeli'[; Mark 9· 24. or, be it to me according to my Faith, how weak Jo.ever ; u,wtll bear that fenfe. . 2. Wemuftpraife God for all thofepaffagesJn Chnft s l1fe. Thusdtd them~lurude; they praifed Godwith a lo11dvotee, for all the rmghty work! that rhey hadfeen; faymg, blef Luke 19•37,38 fed be the King that comes in the r1ame of the Lord, peace w hedven, andglory tn the htgh-. . eft! What (my Soul) bath Chrift done all this for thee? ~as he made underthe La1v, · to redeem rhy foul, and adopt thee for h•s Son, to the mhentancc of Heaven? came he down from heaven, and travelled he fo many m1les .on earth, to woo an.d wm th~ heart ? fpent he fo many Sermons, and fo many. Mtra.cles ro work thee wto fatth · 0 how !houldefi thou blefs and prize and magmfie h1s Name? how n10uldeil thou ... - ' - ' · breaj;;
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