Chap. 2. sea. 4· ~ooiung unto ·]Jcfu~. Book IV. 45:; --~--------~----~~--~---------------- ~11)', radically, fundamentally hfe lt felf, •nd by h1s mcarnatwn. pfiion, refurre<'l:ion, he ais life for his Samts, they hve by h1m,. and m lum, and for h1m, and through him; he is the heart and hver of their fpnltual life. But as from tbe heart and liver there mull: be arteryes, and vams for nwntenance of hfe and conveyance of blood throu~h all the body; fo from Chnfl there mufl be fame con– veyance to bring this lit hfe unto us, and tillS IS by faith ; !live by the fatth ofthe Son of God. 0 my foul, doll: thou live this life_ of faith on the Son o! God ? canfl thou make ufe of Cbrill m every ftate, and 111 evet'y condtllon ? As for mllance ; in thy particular calling, dofl thou look to Chrifl for wifdome,_ fuccefs, bleffing, a– bility ? dofl thou fay, if I have dl jieccefs, 1 wdl J:i: go to Chriji ; tt ts he that Jet me here, aHd it is he will enable me? 111 cafe of provtlwn, dofl thou run to Chufl, and dofl thou hang upon him for all things needfull ?doll thou fay ,ltf1want means ,God 1vill cre– ate meam, he·commands all means, and he can fuddenlydo whatfoever he will? In cafe of prote:'tion, doll thou look unto Jefus robe thyfhield andProtecror? doll thoq mind Gen. 'S·'· the Word of'God to Abraham, fea;· not Abraham,for I am God a!ljiifficient, thybuck[<r and thy exceeding gre~t reward ? In cafe of thy children, goeft thou to Chri~, faying, are not my chi/dtcrt thy children, and wilt thott not pro_vide for thy own? lt IS true, thoumufl: do wlm thou canfl:, but forthe refl:, defpa1r not, call ~by bunhen up- Phi!. 4 • 6• on htm, who h1th commanded thee tn nothmg to be careful, but tn all thmgs to mak! Phi!. 27. 10, thy fttits lz!1own with prayer and jitpplication ; when my f,uher, and Mother forfak! me, God will tak! me "P• faith David. He is a Father to the fatherlefs, he provided for them in the womb, he provided brefts for them ere they faw the fun, and therefore how Jhould he but have care, and cornpaillon over thy children ? in cafe of profperity, ' do(\ thou fee Chrift's love in that ftate ? dofl thou fet him in the firl! place, receivingall, and joyning in all as coming from him?is this it that makes thy profperity fweet, becaufe,thou knoweft and believeft that thy fins are pardoned? otherwifewhat is thy lilver, and gold fo long., thy pardon i~ not fealed in the blood ofJefus Chrifl? if a prifon<r condemned to dye fhould abound ~n all outward plenty, what comfort could he bave,fo long as his pardon were not fealed? u 1s the hfe offauh that fweetens prof<;erity ; who are better Chriflians than they; who know they enjoy thefe things with Gods favour and bleffing? faith fees Gods love in all,and fo is abundantly thankful;faith makes a man to eat, and drink, and lleep, and to do all in Cbrill, as it eofl •Chrill dear to purchafe our liberty to the creatures, fo faith ever fets Chrifl in the firft place. it receives all as coming from him, it returns all as to the glory of him . in caf~ of difgrace, doft tilou commit thy credit to Jefus Chrifll doft thou /oob, ;,P to [eji~< and delirell: no more good name, repute, or honour then Chrift will afford thee ? or in cafe of death, daft thou like Stephen relign up thy foul to Chrill? doll thou fee death conquered in the refurrection of Chrift ? doft thou look beyond death ? daft thou over eye all things betwixt thee and glory? 0 the fweet of this life of faith on the S•n of God! ifthouknowell what this means, then mayli: thou aiTure thy felf of thy vivification, 3· True vivification i~ a new lile aCting upon a new principle of hoFe of gbry. Blef[ed bethe God and .Father of d~r Lord {efu< Chrijt, which accordirtg to hi.; abt<ndant r Per. r. 3, {· mercy, bath begotteumagain unto a lively hope, by the rcjime[iion of {cfm Chrift from the dead, to ,,,. inheritance incorruptible and ltndejiled, thatfadeth not away, referved in heaven for yo~t. By Chrifls refurrection we have a lively hope for our ref.rre<'l:ion umo glory ; is not Chrift ~ur head ?. and ifhe be rifen to 1\l~ry, fhall not his mem- Job. 18• 22• bers f?llow after h1m ? cerramly there 1s but one hfe, one Spmt, one glory of Chrifl: · and h1s members ; The glory which tholl gaveft me, I have givm t<nto them, faid Chrifl. The foul that is _vivified bath a ltvely hope of glory on feveral grounds. As, I. Becaufe of the ~rom1fes ofglory [et down in the word ; now on thefe promifes hope faftens her anchor ; tf Chril1: hath promifed, how fiwuld I' but maintain lively hope ? 2. Becaufe of the firll-fruits of the Spirit ; there are fomtimes fore-rafts of t~e glory, drops of heaven poured uto a foul, whence tt comfortably concludes, rf I have rhe earneft and firrt-fruits, furely in his time J efus Chrifl: will give the harvefl. 3, Ilecaufe of Chrift's refurre<'l:ion unw glory ; now he rofc as a common perfon, and he went up Into heaven as a common perfon, whence hope is lively, fay in£, why fhoold I doubt, or defpair, feeing, I am quic/z!1ed together with i;:hrifl, andE. ph. 2. 5, 6 raifed up together 1wth Chrijl, ~nd am made to fit together with Chrift, in hea- 'llf~ly places l Try, 0 myfoul, by this fJgn : art thou lively in thy hope of glory I - doth
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