248 Book. III. Looking nnte1efuJ. .Heb.IZ :t .Col.r.19 "P[.6S,t8, Joh,J,I6 better things then thefe, fometimes we are tempted on the kft hand with croffes , affliCtions , perfecutions , and fufferings for the Name ofChrift, but then faith hel ps us to overcome and makes us Conquerours through Chrift that loved us, by f~tting before us the end of our faith and patience; it is faid of Jefus,that for the joy that WM Jet beforr him he endured the Croj]'e and dejpi[ed thefbamr. . ·4· Faith encou:a,geth t~e foul that the_ Lord will have a graCIOUS refpeCl: unto 1t s keeptng covenant; m e·very Nation he that f eareth him, and worketh righteou(nef[e i1 accepted with him. Surely this is no [mall encouragement to well doing; what would not a fervant do , if he knew his Lord will take it in good part? nowfaith affures the foul there is n_ot one prayer, one holy defire, or one good thought, or word wh1ch 1s fpoken , or done to the glory ofGod , but God takes notice of it , and accepts it in good part. Then they th.Jtt feard the LordJPaks often one to another, and the Lord har/z!ned, and he~trd it, and a book§ of remembrance wM written before him for them that feared the Lord , and that thought upon hi& Name. , 5. Faith furnifheth the foul with ftrength and abilitie to keep the covenant ; by faith we get a power and ftrength of grace ; as thus.-- I. By faith we look at Chrift as having all fulnefs of grace in himfelf, it piea[ed the F t~ther that in him fbould "'" fulnefJe dwell; all others have but their meafures, fome more, fome leffe, according to the meafure of the guift of Chrift, but Chrift hath received the Spirit, not by mrafure, but in the fulnetfe of it. 2. By faith we know that whatever fulneffe of grace is in Chriil: , he had it not for himfelf only , but for us; he received guifts for men , faid the Pfalmiil:; not for himfelf ~eerly, b~t for men; of hhfulnej[e we rrteive gracr for 1;race, fatth 'fohn; hts wifdome is to make us wife ; his meekenefs is to make us meeke ; and hi• patience is to make I}S patient. . . 3. By faith we look at Chriil: as faithful to dtftnbute fuch grace unto us , as he received for us; he u faithjNl in all th, houft of God; he is faithful in difpencing all the treafures of gr~ce committed unto him for his Churches good : he keeps nothmg back, his faithfulneffe will not fuffer him to keep that to himfelf which
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