56o flook IV. 1!.-00lting unto jh:fUS. Chap.2.Sect. 5 . ·~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~--~ orh~r ~nd is at his. heart that he may be the Author and ~nill1er, the fidl: and la!l:, the begmnmg and endtng of our fouls falvat.wn:.ala<! there 1s nothing in us, in our reaci 1 here below; the fir(! fhrnngs of grace 1s up tn Heaven at the right hand of the Father. and the far end of any gracious thought is as far above us, as the heart of Chrifl: i; above the earth: Come then, fith all hangs on this great pin of Chrifl:'s intercefoion. let us fearch and try, are we called ? do we believe on the Son? are we fanctilied i~ fome meafure? are we kept from the evil, that fin may not have dominion over us? hat? Chri!l: put up thefe ~r~yers inour behalf, .that no~ we feel (as it were) and ex– penence the truth of Chnil s preva.lmgs With hE Father 10 our hearts and lives? 0 fure figns that Chrifl:'simercefsion is ours; away, away, all diffidence, doubtiog, wavering, Rom. B. 34· I Cor. 2.B. fkb. to.26, 27· fluctuaunghopes; a foul thus grounded may with Pant cafl: the gantlet, and bid defi– ance to all the worfd, Who fl,a// lay any thing to the charge of God's Ele&, who ;, he that condemneth? it h Chrift that died, yea, rather that u rifen again, who is even at the right hand of God, andt~ho alfo makpth intercef!ion for m. SECT.. V. Of believing in J•fm in that refpe&. 5· J Et.us be_lievc in Jefl~<, .as ~a.rrying on this great work of our falvationin his in- . J tercef110n; wounded fpmts are full of fcruples, and thus they cry, My fin• will never be forg•ven; h.<ve no~ I finned aga•nft God, and Chn{f, and the Spirit of Chrift ? had I not my hands imbmed in the blood of hu Son ? "nd have not I troddtn under foot the bloodof God I and will that bloud that I have Jhed, ~nd trod on, intercede for my pardon? Had I b~tt gone fo f'" M the 7ews did, who indeed kjlled and crucijitd Chrift, I might have h..d fomehopes, becaufo theykpew not what'they did, and therefore Chrift prayed, Father forgive them, for they kpow not what they do. Bm alas! I fin– ned, and I knew well enough what, and wherem I have finned: had they kpown (faith the Apofl:le ) they would not have crucified the Lord of glory ; but alas I /wew it, and I WM f~tify convinced that the commif!ion of every fin h a crucifying of Chri/f, "nd yet againft k_nowledge, and j11dgment, "ndlight, and check.£ of my o1rn confcience, I ht<ve CT/4cifiedthe Lord of glory, and t5 not the Apoft/e exprefs? it u impof!ibie for thofe w~o were once mlightened, andhave taftedof the heavenly gifr,- --if they fall away, to renew them again unto repeman<e, feeingthey cmcijie to tbem(elves, the Son of Godafrefh, and pMt h,m to an open Jhame, oh I fear my nmne u not m the roll of thofe fon~hom Chrift inter– cedes, I have crucified him afrejh, and will he i;;tercede for (~<eh adead dog .u I llm I I cannotbdieve. Silence, unbelief! be not tyrannical to thy felf, forChriflwill nor, lio lhall do th~e no hurt, nor Sathan, no nor Go;! himfelf, for Jefus Chrifl can work him to any thing; if he IJ~t open his wounds in heaven, he will fo work his Father, tbat thy wounds on earth lhall clofe up prefemly. 0 b~t I have finned againjf light; and what then? I hope thou hafl not finned wilfully, mllicioully, defpighcfully againfl: the light : the Apol\le tells us, that tf we fin wilfully, after we have received the k_nowldge •f the truth, thereremaineth no more facrifice for fins, but a certain looking for of jmig– ment, and fiery indignation. Thefe two Texts in Heb. 6. 4· and 10. z6. are parallel, and give light to each other ; and therefore uRlefs thy fin be the unpardonable fin, un– lefs wilfully, malicioufly, and defpightfully, thou hafl: crucified Cbnfl: , ·~s fome of the Jews did, never pafs a doom of final condemnation on thy ~oul: .what IS there no difference betwixt a fin done wilfully , or purpofely , of mahce With dehght; and againfl: the feeling of thy own confcience; and~ fin done of n:'eer .igno~ance, inconfi~ deracy, infirmity, or through allrong temptauon, though aga10fl: light lt felf? I kn?W there is a light given in by God's Word, and fome beam of the Holy Ghofl:, which yet never penetrated fo far as to transform and regenerate the ~oul wholly to God'• Image. and in fuch a cafe a man may fall away even 10to an umverfal fall, a genrrill Apofl:aGe; but dofl: thou not hope better .things. ~f t.hy fe!f than fo? I fuppofe. rho.u doll; 0 then believe I 0 belif'e thy part 10 Chn[ls lntercefston! and fo.r the dlwir– ons of thy faith, that thou mayfl: know how, or 10 what manner to bel1eve, obferve ·thcfe particulars in their order. As -- z. Faith
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