512 · Book IV. J!.oolttng unto 'jjt{US'. Chap. 2. ~ea. 5 . ------------~~~~------- -------,~;;;dotM upon Earth, andthatGodjho~<ld come down to men: but oh what i< thu, that .Earthjbouldgoup toHeavm, thatmmjhouldafcwduptoGod? yea, that my foul with _Christ, andby Christ, jhould afcend to God, and fit down with God in heavenly places? Y"'· that myfoul jh011ld have for m tnmate the veryfame !Jmt thatChrifl- himfelfbath? oh I cann<t I will not, I dare not believe. Scrup'ulous fouls, be-not faithlefs, but believing; there is none of thefe particulars for which we have not awarrant out of the Word of God; and therefore believe : But that I may perfwade to purpofe, Ilhalllay down, I . Some directions, and 2. Some en– couragements of faith. I. For direCtions of faith, obferve thefe particulars. As -- 1. Faith mull direCtly go to Chrilt. z. Faith mull go to Chrilt as God in the Be/h. 3. Faith muft go to Chrift as God in the fie/h made under the Law. 4-· Faith mull go to Chrift not only as made under the direCtive part of the I.aw by his life, but under the penal pan of the Law by hisdeath. - S. Faith mull go to Chrilt not only as put to death in the fielh but as quickned by the Spirit; of all thefe before. ' 6. Faith muft not onely g() to Chrilt as quickned by the Spirit, but as going up into glory, as fittin~ down at God's right hand, and as fending the Holy Gholt; faith fhould eye C-hnfl: asfar as he goes; tf he be ~feended, fo lhould faith ; if he go into glory, and fit down there, and aCt there for hts people fo lhould faith· and fo lhould we in a way of believing foJJow after him, and take a view of aJJ his tr;nfaetions where be is; we ha~e heard befot:e how faith lhou_ld ~o to C~rift as dying, and as ri!ing again; but yetfatth ts low, whtle tt doth not go wnhtn thevrul, and fee him in glory. it is not enough to have onely afaith of Jutlilication, but of Glorification. 0 come iet us fee Chrifl:in Heaven, and we can have no lefs than aglorious faith! how many are there that never yet came 10 aCt faith in Chri!l: as a glorified Chrift? we are yet ftill in the lower form ; many of us take in no more of Chrilt than what was done on the crofs, or what fome natural, and common refemblances of him can hold forth; we feldom follow Chrifl: into Heaven, -to fee what he is doing there for us. 0 my foul! and 0 my faith l mount up, and be on the wing : Chrifr is gone up to Heaven, Chrill is fer down at God's right hand; Chrifl: bath fent down his holy Spirit : to this purpofe it was e:xpedient that he /hould go away, and now he is gone away, to do fomerhing that remains to be done for thee in his Kingdom ; he had fl:ill fome glorious peice to frame fur thy falvation, and therefore he left this world and went to his Father, that be might a<9: it in glory ; and now he is invefled with all the riches of Heaven, he bath all the keys of Heaven and Hell, he bath all power to command, he bath received all the promife to himfelf, and all that he bath to do, it is to let out of himfelf again un– to his Saints; he barb not onely got his Fathers bean for them, but he bath gor all his riches to bellow upon them; when he came to Heaven, the Father bid him fit down ar his right hand, and take what he would, and be~owwhat he would upon his Sainrs;and thereupon be gave gifts unto men, yea, he gave the gift of gifts, even the Holy Ghoft himfelf. What? art pot thou a partaker of this gift? 0 then look 11p unto Jefm in re– ference to all thefe aetiugs, fer him before thee: Chrift in all rhefe particulars is a right objeCt for thy faith to aCt upon. 7. Faith in going to Chrift; his afcen!ion, feffion, and miffion of the Spirit, it is principally to look to the purpofe, intent, and delign of Chrift in each of thefe particu– lars: Cbrifl: did n01hing but he had an end, ameaning in ir for our good; and here is the life of f1jth, to eye the meaning of Chri!l in all his doings. Now the ends of Chrill's afcen!ion, feffion, and miffion of his Spirit were feveral; I /hall in/lance onely in thefe few. As --- 1. Chrift afcended that we might afcend : look what ever God aCted on Cbrifl:'s perfon, that he did as in our behalf, and he means to aCt the fame on us : was .Chrilt crucified? fo are we is Chrilt rifen again, fo are we rifen together with him : is Chrift gone up into glory/ fo are we; Heaven is now o~ened and poiTdfed by Jcfus Chrift for us, and ar lalt we /1 1 all afcend even as be afcended; Chrift cannot be content with John 17.25; that glory he bath himfdf, until we be with him; Father I will, tht~t thofe alfo whoTJI , thou, hafl- given me be with me where I ~m, that they may behold, or eni•Y my glory which thou haft given me. Chriit as our head is in glory, and fo we are there already with him, and Chrifl as our Advocate is in glor}', and there he is pleading and pray- - . ~
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